Cursed
by Miss Kitty Kat
Summary: Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts. A new DADA professor. A first ever, rather familiar official school mascot. An especially irate potions master. A return of familiar faces. And Lord Voldemort's newest bid for fulfilling his dark purposes. UPDATED 6
1. A New School Year

**Author's notes:** I've had most of this story written for a while now, and even had it posted on for a while, but had decided to take it down because I wasn't inspired to write anymore, much less try and finish it. Lately, however, my muse has struck me and I've added more chapters on. Meanwhile, for those of you who have never heard of me or read this fic before, I wrote the first few chapters with a friend, Ryan. He actually wrote the better first half of this chapter. I wish he were still around, but he's since moved on with that wonderful thing called 'life.' I still find time to mess around the internet from time to time. So! Although I've gotten quite a few chapters written, I'll most likely post one every so often, depending on how many reviews I get. So please! Read and review! Just no flamers. If you don't like it much, try and be nice about how you say it. Thank you.

**Disclaimer:** The only character that belongs to me is Kathrynne. As you know, J.K. Rowling is the awesome goddess of all things creative and worthy of praise and worship in her magical world.

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**H**e watched as the sun slowly extinguished itself beyond the shadowed horizon, painting the sky with brilliant shades of pinks and purples; numerous stars beginning to randomly dot the heavens as night drew ever closer. Pinpoints of sparkling light had already begun to flicker into existence over the horizon, in the sky. It was a breathtaking sight, to say the very least, worthy of any artist's canvas or any photographer's camera and a majestic display of nature's own magic at it's finest. And it made him absolutely sick.

Severus Snape gave a snort of disgust and turned away from the window, his ever present scowl deepening a bit as his mood turned even more sour - if that was at all possible. He indignantly crossed his arms over his chest; his cold, black eyes narrowing a bit as they moved over the empty hall before him. It was quiet now, devoid of the obnoxious laughter and merriment of children that would surely echo within the school's walls in an hour or two. He grimaced at the very thought. Another year, another school term, and another semester of being Potions Master.

"Infuriating," he muttered under his breath into the empty air.

He'd been teaching at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England for quite some time now, well over a decade in fact, and he was still in the same bloody position he'd started out in. Not that it wasn't totally unjustified that he was the Potions Master - it was common knowledge that there was no one in the whole world of wizardry that knew more about that particular subject than he. However, he was also very skilled in the knowledge of dark arts. It was another area that he could have been called an expert in, having had quite a bit of first hand experience in the matter. Nevertheless, he had been passed over again to fill the position of teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which was the job he truly wanted. He was more than aware of the reasons he kept getting overlooked for the post, but it still displeased him. Though, it really took very little to displease Professor Snape.

He was not a pleasant man by nature, often being well known for having a cold and rudely sardonic nature about him. He was not a sociable man either, frequently avoiding all contact with others, when he could help it, and keeping himself busied down in his potions lab and in the dungeons of the school with derisory projects as an excuse to be alone. Snape was a difficult man to get along with and his physical appearance was about as appealing as his disposition. Long, greasy strands of ebony locks that reached his shoulders hung loosely around his angular face, his midnight eyes coated in an icy glaze with a sneer of annoyance perpetually plastered on his thin lips just under his great hooked nose. He was pale, his sallow skin made even more bland looking by his spotless black robes and contrasting dark hair and eyes. He was tall and thin, but not lanky. Snape retained a powerful stature, intimidating even, looming well over the heads of students and faculty members. Like some great ominous specter, he instilled a wariness in all he encountered that commanded a certain amount of respect and reverence. It amused him how most people shrunk back in terror under his gaze and he took pleasure in the fact that few dared to oppose him. Students would shiver at the sound of his darkly silky voice. It was all very entertaining to him.

"Severus?" suddenly came a voice from behind him. Snape turned at the sound, a dark brow raised at the unexpected sound of his name.

It was Professor McGonagal.

"Yes?"

The older woman stubbornly adjusted the thin wire frame spectacles sitting squarely on the end of her small nose, refusing to acknowledge the coolness he had addressed her with. She was one of the few who remained cordial to him out of deeply imbedded properness. He knew she found his company objectionable, though she was too professional to let her emotions deter the fact that he was her colleague. Prim as always, she forced a smile, her taught face straining a bit at the action.

"It's time. I suggest we move to the Great Hall," she said. "They'll be here any moment."

"I expect so," he managed in his typically unfaltering poise.

She nodded, obviously not feeling a need to say anything further and turned promptly on her heels, heading off in the direction of the banquet hall without a look back over her shoulder.

He frowned and silently followed her, knowing that the moment he'd dreaded all summer had finally come. The arrival of the students and the start of the first semester. Damn it. It had come much too quickly. He knew that this year would be the year. He could almost smell the trouble brewing in the air. The boding evil that had been hanging over everyone's head, his own especially, would inevitably turn up. He was almost sure of it and the Headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, whole-heartedly agreed. They'd had many meetings over the summer pertaining to the matters at hand, or the matters that would be at hand perhaps even sooner than they expected, and the result was always the same. Snape shuddered to think of it, though he never allowed his inner dread of the decision to show through his tough exterior. Much like Professor McGonagal, he felt it his duty to remain as professional as possible, no matter what the consequence. What had to happen would happen and he knew he was the only one who would be able to do what had to be done. But, he tried not to think of it. He hated to worry about anything. It tended to make him... irritable.

"Damn it."

He took a deep breath and swung open the large mahogany doors to the enormous room commonly known as the Great Hall. He glowered at the room decorated perfectly before him, banners hanging from various parts of the ceiling and walls, golden flatware and large platters set prettily on each of the long tables, waiting to be filled with delicious foods of every kind you could imagine. He felt sick again.

He was sure it would be a miracle if he didn't throw up before the evening was through. He almost smiled at the thought as he looked up at the head table where all the professors and staff of Hogwarts usually sat, at the front of the room. His seat was at the extreme left of the table, next to the seat usually filled by the DADA professor. At least, if he did get sick, he could do it on the stupid git that had swiped his dream job from him again. That would make the whole night a little more tolerable.

The hall fell silent when Dumbledore stood and announced that the new students, the first years, who would now be sorted into their respective houses by the Sorting Hat ritual. Snape rolled his eyes as he absently drummed his fingers on the tabletop. The entire process of the sorting was boring to him. He didn't particularly care where the students were assigned as he already knew how they'd be treated according to their house when they got into his classroom. Hufflepuffs were teased and humiliated, Ravenclaws were tolerated but not always favored, those in Gryffindor house were to be punished and embarrassed as much as possible, and the Slytherins were treated like royalty because they were the house he was headmaster of. They could do no wrong, even if he didn't always like the things they did. It was expected.

When the obscenely worn looking hat began talking, a gasp of surprised awe emitted from the new students around the room. They'd never seen a talking hat before. Snape's lip curled with distaste. They were all so ignorant and naive... and then the hat was placed on top of each students head, promptly naming off which house they would best be suited for. Snape noticed that there were more students being sent to Ravenclaw than most of the other houses. Very few Hufflepuffs, a nauseating amount of Gryffindors, and a handful of Slytherins. Usually Gryffindor and Slytherin were the largest houses. How odd for Ravenclaw to suddenly, after being the smallest house for years, be getting assigned the most students. He didn't have much time to consider the rare occurrence because, just as the last student was placed in their house, the doors to the hall were unexpectedly pulled open. Everyone turned in their seat to glance at the bewildering disturbance, and even Snape's mouth gaped a bit in surprise.

"Ah, you're here!" Dumbledore laughed from his seat in the middle of the head table, his brilliant blue eyes peering over the rim of the half moon spectacles on his nose, a hand absently smoothing his waist length, snow white beard as he gestured the figure standing in the door way forward.

Snape could only stare at the woman as she made her way up to the head table. She was a moderate height with soft reddish hair that showed flecks of gold, falling past her shoulders, her hazel eyes sporting a slightly embarrassed but friendly look as she approached. Her robes were black, just as his were, which surprised him a bit. It was quite uncommon for a woman to wear a garb such as his, even less common that she would look nice in it. He uncomfortably cleared his throat in his seat, pushing the odd thoughts from his head, raising a brow as Dumbledore's voice rang out again from a few chairs down.

"This is Professor Celeste," the older man began with a warm smile at the woman standing before him. "She is the new teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"

Snape almost fell out of his chair as applause filled the room to welcome the arrival of the new professor. He clenched his fists in frustrated disappointment. He'd been hoping that the seat next to him had remained empty because the professor they'd hired had suddenly either been fired or decided not to take the job in which case, he would have been called upon to teach the DADA class. And now, the blasted person was here. Though he still couldn't believe his eyes..

"You may have a seat, Kathrynne," the Headmaster gestured down the table at the empty chair next to the dark looking man at the end of the table.

"Thank you, Headmaster," she smiled politely. "I apologize for being late. I'd forgotten how this castle has a tendency to change around on you."

"That's quite alright. I'll forgive you, just this once," he grinned teasingly, his sapphire eyes twinkling at her. He then promptly turned his gaze back to the sea of students filling the rest of the enormous room and raised his voice. "Well, who am I to keep you starving any longer? Dig in!"

No sooner had he said it than an obscene amount of food magically appeared on their plates. The students quickly turned their concentration away from the teachers table and began to feast upon the banquet set before them. They were soon busy eating and chattering with each other about their hopes and excitement for the new term. Kathrynne sat down at the table, and her attention was first grabbed by the short professor who sat on her left side. He took her hand in his, shaking it vigorously.

"Greetings and salutations! I am Professor Flitwick, of Charms," he smiled cheerfully. "Its wonderful to finally see a female, especially such a bright young woman as yourself, as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

Kat couldn't help but laugh gently. The man, who probably barely came up past her waist, was friendly enough, if a bit eccentric, perhaps.

"Thank you," she replied politely. "I only hope I can survive this jinxed position. I understand the great Gilderoy Lockhart is now learning to retie his shoes, thanks to the events during his stay here."

There was a soft, derisive snort from her right.

"The buffoon," sneered a quiet voice, mostly to himself.

Kathrynne, however, had heard him and she turned her head curiously to get her first good look at the tall man sitting beside her. At the moment, he had his full interest placed on his food. though he wasn't eating anything. He was pushing it around his with his fork, playing rather rudely with the rations on his golden plate. He hadn't even so much as looked up at her since she'd sat down.

Naturally, she remembered him. It was hard to forget such a man as Severus Snape. It looked as if he hadn't changed much since their days as students at Hogwarts. Of course, she hadn't really befriended him then, but she'd certainly seem him around and heard the rumors that flew throughout the school about him. His appearance, anyway, hadn't changed. He still had the greasy hair, the ever present sneer, and he still held that overall air of superiority. But, she wasn't going to let any of this stand in the way of befriending him.

"Not a fan of Lockharts, I wager?" she asked quite cheerfully.

Snape merely scowled in reply, idly rolling a couple peas around his dish instead.

Well...at least she'd _attempt_ to befriend him, anyway.

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Kathrynne Celeste," she smiled warmly, offering him a slender hand. "I know Dumbledore introduced me to everyone, but I find this much more personal."

Snape glanced at her hand with disgust, as if it were some hideous bug that should be squashed immediately. He noticed with annoyance, however, that Flitwick was watching him with a suspiciously arched brow. Sighing just a bit, Snape took her smaller hand, his long, sinewy fingers clasping hers very briefly. Kat's eyes widened in slight surprise at how cold that hand was...but he quickly took his palm away from hers, as if he'd been burned.

"I am Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master," he sniffed indignantly, holding his overly large hooked nose high.

"I know who you are," she smiled a bit, her hazel eyes twinkling in amusement as she went to pick up her goblet of pumpkin juice. "Your 'reputation' proceeds you... and we attended Hogwarts together as students, though I doubt you remember me. I was a couple years behind you, and I was also in Gryffindor, after all." She said that last bit with a slightly proud air. Kat didn't mean to sound rude. In a way, she was just teasing the man, though she was unsure of just what would be pushing the man too far. She did remember him having a short fuse.

"And you have my most sincere apologies for that," he spoke smoothly, his lip curling into an unpleasant smile.

Kat narrowed her eyes slightly. Flitwick, who had been listening, spoke up quite loudly then.

"Severus is Headmaster of Slytherin house, you know," he explained with a knowing look to Kat. She let a smile of her own tug at her lips and arched an eyebrow

"Oh really?" she asked quite casually, her voice directed to Flitwick but intentionally loud enough for Snape to hear. "Strangely enough, I feel pity for those poor Slytherin students."

Flitwick grinned lightly behind his golden goblet brimming with thick, orange pumpkin juice. Snape's smile, meanwhile, turned back into a nasty sneer at that comment. He, however, wasn't about to let her have the last word.

"Just as I feel sorry for all of your students," he added calmly, examining his own goblet casually, trailing his sinewy fingertips over the wide base, "since they will be taught by a professor lacking so much...charm."

Kat wanted to retort, but she didn't want to let him provoke her like that. Instead, she smiled gleefully and gestured to Flitwick. "Oh, but Flitwick here is the Professor of Charms! Surely he can lend me some."

Flitwick was delighted by her humor. Snape, however, seemed was less than amused. It was more than obvious that he didn't appreciate being mocked and Kat immediately picked up on it. He narrowed his dark, tunnel-like eyes coldly and glared at her, completely forgetting his food for the moment.

"I believe there has been a mistake," he spoke in a dangerously quiet tone. "You cannot be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Snape absently glanced past the female professor to see if the midget next to her was still eaves dropping on their conversation. Flitwick, though, had finally turned away from the two to talk to Professor McGonagal.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You obviously don't have what it takes," he hissed, letting a cold smile cross his sharp features. "I predict you won't last a month."

"You know, that could be taken as a ... threat, Severus," she said nonchalantly, not letting him intimidate her one bit.

"Well, accidents do seem to happen around here, Professor," he spoke barely above an icy whisper, overly articulating each word for emphasis.

Kat frowned as she narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing him. Exactly what had he meant by that? She didn't know what to make of the man...his appearance clearly didn't invite a second glance, and he wasn't one for good dinner conversation. They had only just met and already she felt her nerves running thin. However, it was, unfortunately, only the beginning.

Feeling satisfied that he'd made his displeasure known to her, Snape abruptly stood from his seat. Dumbledore looked up curiously from his place in the middle of the table.

"Leaving so soon, Severus?" he asked warmly.

"I need to prepare for tomorrow's lesson, Headmaster," Snape answered stiffly.

Dumbledore nodded with an amiable smile. "Very well. See that you get a good night's rest, my friend."

He nodded once before turning without so much as a glance at Kat. Her hazel eyes followed him as he swept through the Great Hall, his dark robes billowing around him. While each step showed off his presence of authority, his movement somehow lost the stiffness he'd displayed moments before, a graceful air suddenly commanding his large and purposeful strides. There was a certain beauty to that striking figure that just... Kat suddenly frowned, stopping the thought. What are you thinking? she asked herself. That man is cruel, ruthless, cold-hearted, greasy-haired, hooked-nosed, pale-skinned, and...

"Don't let him get to you," a voice said from behind, interrupting her thoughts. Kathrynne jerked her head in surprise.

"What?" she snapped, then blushed. Standing there was Minerva McGonagal, deputy Headmistress and the Transfiguration teacher. She managed something of a ruffled smile."Oh, Professor McGonagal, hello."

Professor McGonagal didn't return the smile, however. "If I were you, I'd stay out of Severus' way. I doubt he'll bother you if you don't bother him."

Kat wanted to protest, but she didn't. She instead nodded in agreement, allowing a slight sigh to escape her lips. "Of course, Professor."

McGonagal nodded, clearly ending the short conversation, and turned to restore herself to her seat. Kat looked down at her untouched meal but suddenly wasn't feeling as hungry as she had been before she'd sat down at the head table. Kathrynne felt oddly drained, like she'd just had an encounter with a dementor who had, in turn, sucked all the energy and happiness out of her. She felt ready to call it a night when Dumbledore stood up to give his annual start of term speech. He waited until there was silence in the Great Hall, before speaking.

He went over the rules and regulations, repeating things from previous years. The Forbidden Forest was still off-limits, as was Hogsmeade to any student below third year. There was a list of new objects forbidden inside Hogwarts posted on the door to Filch's office.

"I'm sure you also noticed the aurors when you walked in. They will be staying with us for the better part of the year, just as an extra precaution." For the first time that evening, his gaze became sober, his smile falling into a grave frown. "I cannot stress to you how important it is that you obey your teachers and abide by the rules. I do not feel the need to remind you of last year's events." The old man paused for effect, allowing the students a moment to recall the terrible tragedies that had occurred not that long ago, at the end of the last school term before the summer break. " I'm sure all of you know why we are taking these precautions."

The room went silent. Everyone, save some of the first years, knew exactly what he was talking about. And none of them looked very happy about it. Kat's gaze softened as her eyes rested on a certain dark-haired, emerald- eyed fifth year boy sitting toward the middle of the Gryffindor table. She quickly identified him as Harry Potter.

The boy who lived.

She watched as the boy squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, adjusting his glasses as he gave a red-haired boy next to him a nudge with his elbow. The other boy, whom Kat didn't know, whispered something back, behind his hand, that she couldn't see. Kat frowned pitiably as she watched Harry, having heard everything that had happened to the boy. She felt truly sorry for him and looked forward to meeting him in class the next morning.

"But, now it is late and I know you will all want to be rested for your lessons that will begin bright and early tomorrow morning," Dumbledore smiled, his countenance displaying his usual cheerfulness once again, breaking the ominous mood that had suddenly descended upon the entire hall. "So, sleep tight, and don't let any of those bed bugs bite!"

As the tables of students slowly began to empty out of the room, the occupants of the staff table moved to it's feet as well, a few professors talking quietly amongst themselves as they followed the students through the huge wooden doors.

Kathrynne followed the crowd, returning a few "goodnights" said to her on the way out of the room. She had so much on her mind... or so much that should have been on her mind, what with classes beginning the next morning at 9 o'clock sharp. But, strangely, she could only bring herself to focus on one thing: the rude man who'd been seated next to her at dinner. There was something about him that ate away at her... something that wouldn't allow her to just forget him or simply ignore his very existence, as she rightfully felt she should have after his unseemly behavior. She frowned as she made her way to her sleeping quarters down by the Gryffindor tower, only hoping that a good night's sleep would clear her head. Yes, in the morning she'd be able to focus much better on her work, and hopefully, that menacing, black-clad figure wouldn't still be lurking in the corners of her mind.

_Who does she think she is? What right does she have to simply walk into this school and think that she... that she..._

Snape paused in his pacing, unable to think of a way to finish the thought.

_It doesn't matter. She needs to be put in her place. She needs to learn that I'm not a person to toy with. Or to openly mock. Yes, she'll get hers. But how? I can't very well poison her or something... Dumbledore would obviously be suspicious of me. I can't kill her. No, that simply wouldn't do. Perhaps just humiliate her? Maybe I could brew up a batch of Swelling Solution and then I could "accidentally" drop it on her chair in her office? Or, conceivably, a bit of boil inducing powder left in her napkin. When she went to wipe her face at dinner she'd have blisters on her face the size of a galleon! Though, that is rather juvenile. I'd expect that one from the Weasley twins._

Snape sighed and continued walking aimlessly around his bed chambers, his hands clasped thoughtfully behind his back. He furrowed his brow, shaking his head as he mulled through the various ideas passing through his trap- like mind.

He'd been contemplating the matter for hours, the gentle dinging of the clock on the mantle piece showing that it was now in the early hours of the morning. But, for one reason or another, he'd been unable to think of anything suitable for retribution. None of his ideas seemed up to par. They were either too dangerous, things that he would surely get in trouble for, or not dangerous enough. It was so hard to find a happy medium.

He gave an indignant snort and sat down pensively in one of the green, wingback chairs in front of his large, gray marble fireplace. He absently stared into the flames as if waiting for some brilliant inspiration to come to him, some ingenious vision..

Nothing did. He gave a frustrated grumble and leaned back in the chair, his bony fingers curling themselves over the edges of the armrests. He was the master of revenge! Surely he could think of something.

_You don't really want to humiliate her, Severus,_ hissed a voice in the back of his mind. _You're just bitter because she has your job._

"Oh, shut it."

_And now she has me talking to myself?_ He groaned at the realization. How terribly obnoxious. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. But, as he tried to clear his mind, her face suddenly flashed into his thoughts. _That kind smile, those big, hazel eyes, that satin-like hair.._

"Oh for the love of...!" He smacked himself in the forehead out of sheer aggravation, his eyes flinging themselves open again.

_What is wrong with you? Stop that. She's despicable. She always was a stuck up, goody-two- shoes, never-wanted-to-talk-to-you-Gryffindor girl. She couldn't have possibly changed and you know it. Forget the revenge, Severus. IGNORE HER! That's what you always did best with her kind._

"Yes, I expect so. I'll just pretend that she doesn't exist."

_Exactly. Good thinking. She can't get under your skin if she doesn't exist._

He gave a satisfied chuckle as he settled down even more in his chair, the warmth of the fire making him, at length, feel drowsy. He felt a little more at peace with himself with his mind finally made up about the whole matter.

Snape eventually drifted off into a serene slumber in front of the hearth, his dreams subconsciously continuing to turn to the woman who'd been plaguing his thoughts earlier, although his thoughts about her were much different as he rested, quietly, in his comfortable chair.


	2. Disappointments

**T**he next morning started out very smoothly for Professor Celeste. She had a delightfully wonderful breakfast before her first class, though it wasn't the food that made the meal so pleasant. It was the fact that the seat to her right remained happily unoccupied. Snape had either eaten and left before she'd arrived, or skipped breakfast altogether. Kat really didn't care. All that mattered was that he wasn't there to get her morning off to a rocky start.

Unfortunately, there were other ways that could still happen.

She arrived in her classroom about fifteen minutes early to make sure everything was in perfect working order. Her hazel gaze traveled along the rest of her desk, over her folder of parchment paper containing that week's lessons plans, an ink bottle and one long, feathery quill. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked about the room, eyes pausing on the empty seats that would soon be filled with dozens of magical youth. Some things at Hogwarts would never change...the rooms and hallways looked the same as if she had stepped back into the time of her days as a bright-eyed Gryffindor student.

Kat half-expected to see the familiar group of her fellow Hogwarts students walk in. She could almost imagine the mischievous Sirius Black and James Potter smirking as they slipped a dungbomb into the hood of the robes of a certain studious Slytherin whose name she had been trying to keep from her mind. Remus Lupin would be standing behind them, on his face a quietly amused grin he was unsuccessfully suppressing, while little Peter Pettigrew would not take any part in their antics, too scared to join in something that would most likely result in a detention. And naturally, the good natured Lily Evans would be scowling at the group from her desk, wishing they would just leave the pitiful boy alone. Though Kat had been three years under the Marauders, she'd been acquainted with Lily, and knew quite well of the group's mischievous efforts...

But, of course...she knew those happier times when they were all together were gone. Things had changed since those peaceful days, and since then, so many lives had been destroyed all because of one dark wizard, a wizard whose evil she could not even begin to comprehend. The wrath he had rained upon the magical world had very well affected every wizard and witch of his time, in some way. Of course, it had affected some more than others...the Potter family, naturally, but...no one knew of the horror Kat knew, of the screams she heard nearly every night in her dreams, or of the images of terror, fear, and hatred that haunted her mind constantly... Kat had never found closure, she had just learned to live with the fact that she would never be truly free of her torment. Dumbledore was the only one who knew the truth, yet he had still given her this position at Hogwarts. It amazed her that he trusted her so much and so easily, yet it also encouraged her to take the job and make the man proud...

Kat's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the students began to file in. Leaning against her desk, she forced the oppressive thoughts away and put on a cheerful smile to wait as the chattering sixth year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students entered. Wonderful...she couldn't help but feel a bit better that her first experimental class would not include those lovely Slytherin students. They certainly wouldn't do to calm her first day nerves and jitters. When the last student had taken his seat, she walked over and closed the door, before returning to the front of the room. Taking a mental breath, she swept her hazel eyes over the fine looking group of students, then began class, failing to notice two twin red-haired young men softly snickering to each other toward the back.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome you back to Hogwarts after what I'm sure has been a lovely summer break," she spoke, sending them a warm smile. "I am Professor Kathrynne Celeste." Her gaze swept over the students, so she included the entire class.

"I've heard rumors of your past DADA teachers, and I would quite understand if you held certain suspicions about me," she arched an eyebrow lightly at this. "However, I can assure you that I am not an agent of evil for Lord Voldemort," she paused as a few gasps were heard at the dreaded name, "nor a person who loved staring at his reflection in a mirror more than anything else, nor am I someone who wore a facade and lied to you." Her smile softened slightly. "As for Remus Lupin... I understand he was a wonderful teacher. I only hope I can live to be half the teacher he was."

"I _can_ promise you that everything I teach this year will be the entire gospel truth. As sixth years, I understand you can handle this truth. I know last year's events were quite traumatic for most of you..."

Indeed they had been, for those students had lost their faithful Quidditch player and loyal friend, Cedric Diggory. Kat cleared her throat, forcing a professional tone into her voice as she moved to walk behind her desk.

"Therefore, Headmaster Dumbledore wishes for you to at least be more familiar with how a wizard or witch can 'go bad,' and some of the dark magic that they use. If you learn anything from my class this year, however, I hope it will be that to defend ourselves from such evil we must all stay united," she spoke truly, arching an eyebrow pointedly. "No matter if you're on a rival Quidditch team or of a different house, please try to get along and work together. Remember, we're all on the same side here."

With that, she picked up her wand from her desk. "If you'll excuse me for one moment, I think we could use a bit more light in here, don't you?" She gave a wave of that wand. "Incendo-"

But no sooner was the first word out of her mouth, that a very unusual thing happened. Her 'wand' turned into a long, slippery snake. Eyebrows raising in surprise, Kat instinctively threw it into her audience of students. It landed on the desk of two Ravenclaw girls, who screamed and jumped up from their seats. The rubbery creature bounced before lying quite still, but it wasn't until she heard laughter from the back that Kat realized what had just happened.

Her wand had been switched with a fake one that had turned into a rubber snake. Coincidently enough, Kat hated snakes. It turned out that Fred and George Weasley had decided to "initiate" her by these means. Giving a relieved little sigh, she forced her mouth into a grim line, and walked over to the red-headed twins, crossing slender arms over her chest.

"Fred and George Weasley, I presume?"

"Look at that!" Fred grinned. "She's heard of us."

"Oh, I'm flattered," George added.

"I'm not so sure you should be," she spoke sternly. "I understand this fake wand is one of the items located on the list outside of Flich's door."

The smiles on their faces faltered

"Well, while your little trick was rather clever," she paused as they brightened again, "I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate this. You two are not to conduct yourselves in such a manner in my classroom again, do you understand?"

The twins merely laughed and accepted her mild sternness, appreciating the fact that she wasn't going to turn them in.

"You're alright, Professor," George said with a smile.

"A bloody good sport," Fred snickered. "I think we'll get along just fine!"

"Well, thank you," she managed to say as a smirk crossed her face. "Now that you've gotten that out of the way, perhaps we can get back to the lesson?"

Though the class progressed quite well, Kat was a little disappointed when she realized that she wouldn't have the honor of having Harry Potter in her classroom until Wednesday. Since she had class with him every other day, starting on Monday, which they'd missed because that was the night that everyone had arrived at the school, she wouldn't see him until the next morning.

Kat's mind was burning with questions to ask Harry, but she wasn't sure if she should bother him. What if the whole Voldemort issue was a sore spot for the boy and her asking him about it would only upset him? She certainly didn't want that. She decided to let him come to her about it. or at least try to encourage him to come to her to talk. Perhaps that would work. She had known the boy's parents, after all...and she felt she could relate a little to Harry's past. Something about it reminded her of her own. But, with a couple more classes to go, she couldn't concentrate on Harry just then. That thought would have to be saved for a later time, though she could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of finally meeting the legend face to face.

Elsewhere in the castle, deep in the dungeons, someone else was having the pleasure that Professor Celeste was craving. though he wasn't really relishing in the fact that he was "enjoying" the boys' company.

"Potter!"

The boy cringed behind his round black frames, an apologetic frown crossing his face. Snape's eyes narrowed as he glared icily at the boy who shrunk a little in his seat.

"Potion ingredients belong inside the cauldron, not on the floor!" Snape sneered with blatant contempt. "Ten points from Gryffindor! Now, clean up that mess and finish your solution."

He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Harry begin to attempt to sweep up the white powder that lightly dusted the cold cement floor. He suddenly gave a cruel smile.

"And I'd be careful to pick all that broken glass out of the powdered asphodel root. You won't be given any more of it so you'll have to use what you can salvage," he said in a mildly amused voice. "And, if even the tiniest piece of glass finds it's way into your Silence Solution, the side effects could be nasty when you test it on yourself."

With that, he turned his back on the boy. He gave a look at the blonde haired teenager across the room, who sat sniggering with a couple of fellow Slytherin's, as if to say "I know you had a hand in this accident". Draco Malfoy and his friends immediately fell quiet and went back to their work, busily adding ingredients to their own simmering cauldrons. Snape frowned at Malfoy, the little arrogant prat that he was.. He would have dearly loved to punish him just once.

He'd seen the boy cast the Flipindo spell from across room. Snape certainly wasn't blind. Potter's vial had been the target and the spell caused the small glass container to knock itself off of Harry's work bench. It seemed to Snape that Harry and his friend Ron knew exactly what Malfoy had done as well. They each shot looks of pure loathing the fair-skinned boys way, which Malfoy studiously ignored in reply.

Snape, while not one to dispute the natural dislike the students from the Slytherin house and Gryffindor house shared for one another, was annoyed that it carried into his classroom sometimes. It tended to upset the delicate work environment he liked to keep in his potions lab. Though he himself was hostile (at best) to certain students, he didn't like when the gags between the pupils upset the balance he tried to maintain. In essence, he didn't like having the spotlight stolen from him. He was suppose to be the only person torturing the children in that room, thank you very much.

The black robed figure slowly began to weave his way in and out of the rows of desks, pausing briefly to hover over various cauldrons to inspect their contents' progress. All was quiet for a moment as he silently stalked through the room, but the peace didn't last long. It never did. There was suddenly an ear-shattering boom from the back of the room, smoke immediately filling the air, causing various coughing fits and yells of displeasure from the young occupants of the class.

Professor Snape hollered furiously from his position in the middle of the room. He couldn't see the child responsible, or the other students for that matter, due to the brilliant green smoke hanging thickly in the air. He didn't need to see who had done it, because he already knew who it had to have been.

"Longbottom!"

There was a terrified squeal from the back of the room and Snape smirked despite himself, though he quickly managed to stifle it, his trademark sneer returning in it's place.

"What have you done now, you stupid idiot?"

He rummaged around inside his robe for his wand which he promptly found. He pulled it out and gave an expert wave of it, the green smoke swirling delicately in the air around the perfectly polished wooden tip.

"Ventium!"

The smoke rapidly began to dissipate, Snape's visibility finally returning to him. He narrowed his eyes menacingly at the chubby boy covered in soot, practically hiding behind his flaming cauldron who seemed ready to burst into tears at a moments notice. Snape, however, was not moved to pity.

"Twenty more points from Gryffindor, Longbottom!" the pale figure said pointedly, crossing his arms menacingly over his chest, his midnight robes falling dangerously still as though he'd become a solid granite statue "for botching another simple potion! Honestly," Snape continued, his voice becoming very quiet, though it was still clearly audible from any given spot in the less than warm classroom. "I don't know how you can face yourself in the mirror each morning. A failure in your first year and still one in your fifth. I daresay that, if you haven't been blessed only with inopportune idiocy, I'd also guess that you were bestowed with the gift of uncontrollable consistency."

Neville sank even farther out of view behind the now smoldering cauldron, his hands clasped over his mouth in utter shame.

The boy had no back bone. It was embarrassing really the way he cowered and sniveled if Snape even so much glanced his way. And, as a result, most of the other students who'd ever shared potions lab with Neville Longbottom usually felt very sorry and embarrassed for they boy as the unrelenting Potions Master continued to make the young man's life a living nightmare year after year.

"Clean up your mistake," Snape hissed silkily at the trembling student who immediately grabbed his wand from his desk top where it lay among other items.

"Without your wand, thank you!" the professor added after thoughtful pause. His nasty, trademark sneer hung about his slender lips. "And, that includes the mess now stuck on my ceiling also."

Neville and the rest of the class quickly looked upwards. Sure enough, a greenish slime coated the area above Longbottom's cauldron, there was a murmur of disgust from a few at the snot-like substance clinging above their heads. It looked as though a dragon had sneezed and aimed his nose at the high cement ceiling of the classroom.

"Y-y-yes, Sir."

Snape nodded for him to begin and then turned, his gaze falling on a raised hand in the front row. Naturally, it was the bushy-haired, know-it- all, nosey Miss Granger.

"What is it now, Miss Granger?"

The hand slowly slipped down, a contrite expression crossing her face. "Sir, I've finished my potion and I was wondering if you would allow me to help Neville."

"Help him finish his potion?" Snape finished coolly. The girl gave a small nod, meekly meeting his distasteful gaze. "Miss Granger, for once in your impudent little life, butt out. This matter does not concern you in the slightest. And as for Mr. Longbottom's potion." He turned his eyes back to the boy who miserably was trying to sop up some of the spilled liquid around him. "Let him at least attempt one unaided action this year. While I do admit that it is a bit much to expect him to actually achieve anything, we should at least give him the opportunity to try."

The girl winced at the harsh insult the man had just handed to Neville. Sometimes she wished she could just tell the man to sod off. He certainly deserved it..

"However, since you have finished your assignment, Miss Granger," Snape continued, allowing his concentration to fall back on her, his tone dripping with amused sarcasm. "Why not test your potion now? If it works correctly, I'm sure we'd all be quite blissfully happy with the fact that you wouldn't be able to talk for the rest of the duration of class."

Harry, seated next to her, looked up furiously from his own work and opened his mouth to say something. Snape saw the boys cheeks flush with anger and raised a brow, as if daring him to speak.

"Something to add, Potter?"

They stared at each other a moment or two, the hate in their eyes equally matched. Finally, Harry looked away, returning to his potion with a scowl. Snape gave a small snort of satisfaction and then returned to his spot at the head of the classroom.

He pulled a small golden pocket watch from some unseen hiding place in his black robes and casually glanced at it, softly groaning to himself. It was only half way through the period. Snape had a sudden urge to burry his face in his hands and scream. Would this class ever end?

**L**unch couldn't come fast enough for both students and teachers alike, mutually excited to have survived the first half of the day unscathed. Well, mostly unscathed. Due to Snape's kind and understanding personality, Gryffindor house was already down by 55 points, Hufflepuff 10, and Ravenclaw and Slytherin were tied according to the hourglasses displayed above the entrance to the Great Hall. If that at all made Snape happy, he didn't show it from his statuesque position at the head table. Kathrynne Celeste, however, verbally expressed her distaste with Gryffindor being so far behind as she took her seat on his left side.

"How can that possibly be? What could the students have done to lose that many points on the first day?" she asked to no one in particular without even so much as a glance at Snape. He didn't reply nor did he offer a gesture of welcome, merely sipping his goblet of water with his gaze aimed anywhere but in her direction.

"I cannot even begin to guess, Professor Celeste!" Flitwick said with a small shrug. He paused thoughtfully then looked, scowling, in Snape's direction. "Perhaps you should ask him."

It was Kat's turn to frown as she turned to follow Filius Flitwick's gaze. I should have guessed, she thought bitterly. Snape still didn't look up at her as he silently ate his lunch, a small bowl of soup and a few crackers.

"What happened?" she asked in a casual tone, though her inner annoyance showed through a little bit. "What did Gryffindor do that was so terrible that they needed to lose that many points?"

He kept his eyes down for a moment or two, wanting to stick to his decision from the previous night, but he couldn't. Not with that blasted Flitwick watching. Damn him!

Snape set his spoon down gently on the table and folded his hands, his eyes coldly locking on hers. She raised a brow at guarded hostility glinting in his dark eyes but didn't look away.

"Professor," he began quietly. "I assure you that the deduction of points was a necessity. I endured a very trying morning filled with disrespect, purposely botched potions, cheekiness, and general mayhem. Taking away the points seemed the only way to get their attention. But, I deemed that it was only fair that..."

"Fair? Severus really," Flitwick interrupted. "I'm sure that it's not as bad as you say it is. We have this conversation every year."

"And every year the students need to be put in their place," Snape retorted quickly. "I will not tolerate their disobedience in my classroom."

"I don't tolerate fooling around either, but..." Kat suddenly piped up.

"Oh, that's funny," the dark man next to her said with a cruel chuckle. "Only moments ago, I heard that Fred and George Weasley had a bit of fun at your expense this morning."

Kat inadvertently blushed as he said it, replying "That was all in good fun. Some of us can distinguish the line between a bit of joking and insubordination, I believe. Besides, last I checked, a little fun can be involved with learning."

"If you allow them to make fun of you, then they lose any respect they have for you," Snape snapped as he took a sip of water from his goblet.

"Do you think they don't insult of us anyway behind our backs, anyway?" she asked credulously, eying him warily. "If you don't, then you're very naive. Don't you remember what it was like to be their age?" If you ever really were that age, she thought dryly.

"I only remember that I had the utmost respect for my superiors. But, then, I'm not you so you may have valued authority differently than I..."

Kat's face sagged with anger. Snape, however, hadn't finished yet, that dry wit of his taking over.

"Wait a moment! How could I possibly forget? You were a Gryffindor," he sneered with biting sarcasm. "The Gryffindors were always rather disrespectful, concentrating their petty efforts on what they deemed more important in life...and foolishly losing countless points in the process."

Kat's hazel eyes flashed, but she managed to smile sweetly at him through gritted teeth. Do not let him get to you, she told herself silently, though her temper was quickly flaring.

"I can assure you, Professor, that I was as respectful as the next Gryffindor. Your pride in your own house blinds you to the fact that our good behavior often reflected this, awarding us a great deal of points."

"Interesting," he arched a brow quite calmly. "Need I remind you that the Slytherins won the house cup four years in a row while I was there?"

Kat flinched at that bitterly. Oh, yes, she remembered. It was hard to forget the embarrassment her house had to put up with those long years. However, she wasn't about to let that be her downfall in this lovely argument.

"And need I remind you that Slytherins are known to often...Oh, how can I put this tastefully..." she frowned a bit, very cynically, but quickly plummeted right on, "...use dishonest methods? Cheat? Lie?"

Those black eyes narrowed, darkening even more if at all possible, and his voice turned dangerously quiet, malice dripping from his lips. She had crossed the line, and he was quite intent on letting her know he wouldn't allow it. Despite herself, Kat faltered just a bit under that deadly gaze.

"Foolish woman. You should not talk about what you know completely nothing about." A slight, twisted smile suddenly crossed his thin lips unpleasantly, revealing that row of yellowish teeth. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry...that would mean you'd have to quit your job, now wouldn't it?"

She glared fiery daggers at that, her right hand suddenly gripping her napkin with a tight death grip. It was one thing to verbally put her old house down, but even worse to insult her methods and knowledge of teaching. During that tense moment of silence, it was hard to tell which gaze held more venom and hatred in it.

Finally, trying to maintain what remained of her temper, she spoke in a voice as composed as possible. Her facade, however, was anything but...sociable. "You know, I was fortunate enough to grow up in the real world where I had friends and learned to have a sense of humor so that I could turn out to be the well balanced adult I am today."

That insult, however, didn't ruffle his feathers in the least bit.

"Obviously not quite as stable as you'd like to think you are," he said with a sudden hint of amusement, flicking those dark eyes in the direction of her hand, "or is that some rare disease you have that causes your hand to shake?"

She followed his gaze only to see he was right. Pumpkin juice had managed to slosh over the golden edge of the cup as it teetered in her hand. She took a deep, calming breath and then set it back down.

He gave her a cruel smile, suddenly changing his game plan. Annoying her was much more.. pleasing than ignoring her could ever hope be.

"My dear, Professor Celeste," he said, returning to his silky but extremely sarcastic tone. "Something seems to have upset you."

"Nothing of the sort," she said through clenched teeth at the insolent manner he was addressing her with. "I just haven't eaten my lunch, as I've so absentmindedly wasted half the time debating with you, and it appears to be affecting me quite negatively. Oh, and please do take that as a compliment. You have such a way with people."

With that said she shot him a final look of disgust before beginning her meal; a thick sandwich that seemed to be turkey as far as Snape could tell. He wrinkled his nose as she seethed next to him, quite obviously ignoring him now. He notice Flitwick had, once again, turned away to chat with Professor McGonagal and Dumbledore, though he couldn't hear what about. There were benefits to being positioned at the end of the table...however, he wasn't sure if this would always be one of them. Professor Celeste wasn't supposed to ignore him. She wasn't playing the game by his rules and it infuriated him. Silence descended on the two for the remainder of the meal, until the bell rang. Without a word to any of the professors, and certainly not even a glance to Snape, she stood and swept past him towards the doors. He watched as her cool gaze only warmed when she greeted a few of her students in passing. Taking a little breath, he regained his composure and stood with the usual air of supremacy that he carried. The year had only begun after all...and he had a feeling this skirmish was far from over.


	3. Harry Potter

**T**he rest of the afternoon went uneventfully for the two professors. It would always be the same, year in and year out, for potions class. Nothing ever changed for poor Severus Snape. For Kathrynne Celeste, however, each class was something new and exciting to look forward to. Perhaps she was still just new to the thrill of teaching, but most of her students seemed so anxious and willing to learn. Their interests and hurriedness to ask questions fueled her spirit and made every class rather enjoyable to teach. She cheerfully shared this with McGonagal and Dumbledore that night at dinner. The older, prim Headmistress forced a small smile, looking a bit worn out by Kat's relentless energy.

"You'll get used to it all in time, I imagine," she said calmly, reaching for her goblet. "Soon, the students' antics will wear thin on your patience."

Dumbledore snorted very gently and sent Kat a knowing look when McGonagal turned away, his blue eyes sparkling underneath half-moon spectacles. He leaned closer to Kat and lowered his voice so only she could hear.

"Minerva is too proud to admit it, but she enjoys teaching just as much as you do. She takes great pride every time a student excels at transfigurations," he smiled gently. "I believe the students' achievements are the most satisfying part of teaching witchcraft and wizardry... no matter what some might say."

His gaze shifted past her, and she absently followed it... then frowned unhappily. Sitting in his normal spot at the end of the table was Snape, now with only Flitwick on his left to talk to. When she had turned, she caught him staring at her, though the dark eyes quickly flicked away. Kat sighed, turning back to Dumbledore.

"The only thing that satisfies that man is deducting points from Gryffindor."

"Give it some time, Kathrynne," he spoke kindly, absently smoothing his snow-white beard. "Severus is not the easiest person to become close to, but he is an exceptional potions master... and a good friend. I'd trust him with my life."

Kat wrinkled her nose in disgust, but changed the subject. The mention of Snape had made her remember something.

"Thank you again for giving me the chance at this job..." she smiled graciously, "and... thank you for letting me switch seats tonight."

"You're very welcome, on both accounts," he paused to take a sip of his pumpkin juice. "You're quite capable in the dark arts and your knowledge of the subject is astounding. No matter what happens this year, you have already earned my admiration and respect."

Kat couldn't stop the blush from coming across her features at the compliment from such a famous, wise wizard. She felt she didn't deserve his encouragement, but... she was more grateful for it than she could put into words.

"As for the game of musical chairs," he continued jovially, "I agree with you. This is a wonderful way for you to become more acquainted with the Hogwarts staff. They will become like family to you while you are here, much like your house was when you were a student. I know how important it is for you to feel at home."

Kat smiled a bit at the obvious knowing look in that piercing gaze, though she felt a bit ashamed. She had lied to him, after all... well, she had partially lied, anyway. The reason she had wanted to change seats was pure and simple: to avoid Snape. The last thing she wanted that evening was for his cold and biting sarcasm to ruin her good mood. However, she was rather looking forward to meeting and getting to know the other professors better, should Dumbledore let her continue this.

...and, of course, he did. After a relaxing evening or preparing for the next day's classes and then getting a good night's rest, Kat found herself sitting beside Hagrid at the breakfast banquet. She was absorbed in one of his stories of a certain magical creature named Nobert, and found the man good-natured and very amusing. And after the conversation, she was pleased to have not glanced once in the direction of the far end of the table.

Her morning classes went rather well. There were really only a few bouts of trouble, but nothing she couldn't handle. She found when she was energetic with teaching the students, it rubbed off on them and their learning. When lunch came around, she managed to get a seat next to Madame Hooch. She shared an enlightening conversation about Quidditch, whether it be learning new facts and moves that she hadn't known, or comparing thoughts on some of the teams.

Kat was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't notice a pair of black, menacing eyes staring into her back from the far end of the table. A cold sneer was placed firmly about his twisted, thin lips, and the eyes above the overlarge nose were narrowed as vengeful thoughts clouded his mind. So. Professor Celeste thought she had finally won their little "war," hadn't she? She thought simply trading chairs at the staff table would keep him away, didn't she? Being avoided and completely ignored would finally push him over the edge, wouldn't it? Well. The naive, young girl had much to learn. For Professor Snape, it was far from over. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Besides, this potions master always got the last word, in the end...

Snape's smirk suddenly froze, faltering a bit as a new light turned on inside his brain. Wait a moment...this can't be right...this is how that wretched woman wants me to feel! She's refused to acknowledge my presence because she knew it would do this to me! Damn that woman! She meant to annoy the hell out of me this way! Damn, damn, damn!

As poor Snape seethed in his silent torment, unseen by Kat, she smiled a farewell to Hooch, before standing and walking around the table. Feeling very cheerful and ready to face the world, she walked with a bit of a bounce in her step. Today, after all, would be the day she would finally meet the famous Harry Potter. Surely nothing could make this exciting day go wrong.

...unfortunately for Kat, that dream was to be short-lived. Her day went downhill from the moment she stepped into her classroom of fifth year Slytherins and Gryffindors. She walked into a room of piercing sound. Huddled in a big mass towards the center of the room were her students: some cheering, some clapping, and some booing. What they were so excited about, however, she was quite unable to see. When she tried to push her way through to the middle, the outermost, tallest students wouldn't budge.

"What's going on here? Please, step aside," she cried, but it was quite pointless. No one paid her any heed.

Somewhere in the midst of the mob, she suddenly heard a painful shout. Frowning in annoyed concern, she quickly took out her wand and pointed it at her throat.

"Sonorus!" and suddenly her voice boomed out above the loud din of voices, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"

Instantly, the crowd of robed figures silenced and turned, as one, to face her in surprise. But still, somewhere hidden from her view, she could hear muffled grunting and groaning.

"WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? MOVE ASIDE!"

The crowd parted just like the Red Sea. Sighing in irritation, Kat quickly moved forward and spotted what the commotion had been all about. Still wrestling about on the ground were three pairs of students. One pair contained a red-headed boy with freckles and a large, burly Slytherin student. The next pair involved a rather bushy-haired young girl wrestling another strapping Slytherin female student who was about three times her size. And as for the last pair...she instantly recognized the dark hair, emerald eyes, and visible scar. As for his pale, blonde-haired opponent...all she could tell was that he was a Slytherin, by the inside color of his robes. Holding the wand out at them menacingly, she bellowed once again.

"ENOUGH!"

As if they had been shocked by lightning, the Slytherin students suddenly jumped off from their opponents and looked up quite innocently at the professor. The girl, meanwhile, moved to help the red-head to his feet, who was now sporting a bloody nose. The famous Harry Potter...well, he was still glaring viciously at the student he'd been fighting.

"WHAT WAS JUST GOING ON HERE... OH, BLOODY..." Kat frowned when she realized she was still deafening the entire classroom. She pointed her wand back at her throat. "Quietus! Ah. That's much better. Now." She set a stern, even glare on each of the students involved in the fighting. "Please explain yourselves."

There was a burst of voices from the six students, and she was only really able to pick out bits and pieces from the mess.

"...Potter started it all, Professor!"

"...it was Malfoy's fault! He insulted Hermione's family!"

"...he broke Ron's nose!"

"And he broke my wand, too, the slimy, son of a..."

"That's quite enough!" she called out, cutting off Ron's rather colorful language. They went silent. She regarded the situation for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Indeed, this Ron's wand lay on the ground, broken into four and a half pieces. Sighing a bit, she turned her gaze back to the group.

"Now, you...Miss...ah..." she frowned, realizing she didn't even know their names yet.

"Hermione Granger."

"Right. Miss Granger. If you would please take Ron here to the Hospital Wing...I'm afraid I'm not very good at mending broken bones," she arched an eyebrow. "Return to class after you've escorted him there. You, Mr. Weasley, will just have to do the make-up work later."

The red-headed boy sighed but nodded, holding his nose quite painfully.

"How did you know my name?" he asked in a nasal-like voice.

"You vaguely resemble your two brothers," she smiled just a bit, then nodded to them both. "Off with you, now. Hurry back, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded, then bent down with a sigh to pick up the broken fragments of Ron's wand. He groaned when he saw them, and Kat caught the depressed look upon his freckled face before they walked out. Frowning, she turned back.

"As for the rest of you..."

She cast her gaze over the rest of the lot, not pausing on the two sidekicks that now flanked the pale boy's sides. It also passed over him, stopping to stare at Harry in awe...he looked so much like her father...as memories flooded back to her, it took his voice to shake her out of her reverie.

"Professor?"

She blinked. "Right. The rest of you don't seem to have any fatal injuries...you will all return to your seats so we can begin class. Right after class, however..." she arched a brow as the remaining five tensed, "...you will join me at my desk for a nice, lovely chat. Understood?"

The group nodded sullenly, then, the Slytherins exchanging glares with Harry, all returned to their seats. Kat frowned, glancing about the rest of the group.

"Well, what are the rest of you waiting for?" she snapped.

Everyone dashed to their seats, and class began.

Kat found teaching that class wasn't quite as enjoyable as the others. The fight had rather put a damper on the rest of the period. After calling out role, she had discovered that the pale boy was none other than Draco Malfoy. A Malfoy...that would be Lucius' son, now wouldn't it? How lovely. The other two were Crabbe and Goyle, apparently two students who basically had muscles for brains. Though she tried to start a discussion in class, most students remained fearfully silent, finding their new teacher a bit intimidating after that little episode. After what was an almost excruciating couple of hours, the class was finally over and the students filed out. Crabbe and Goyle somehow managed to escape with the mob, and Draco tried to follow them, but she somehow managed to catch him before he did. Frowning miserably, he sulked up to her desk beside Harry Potter and Hermione Grange, who were looking very uncomfortable. Kat settled herself quite comfortably in her chair behind her desk before speaking up.

"First of all, I'd like to know exactly what started this little... 'skirmish,' " she asked rather smoothly. The two boys glanced sideways at each as if daring the other to tell the truth. She arched an eyebrow, waiting for their response, but after they averted their gaze from hers, nothing ever came.

"Fine...there are other ways of finding out. Until then...I will be forced to take off 20 points from Slytherin house, since you, Mr. Malfoy, seemed to have caused the most damage."

Draco looked up in angry surprise. "But...that's not fair!"

"I will decide what is and isn't fair in here, Mr. Malfoy," she countered cooly. She glanced over to Harry. "As for you two, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger...you will share a detention with Filch tonight. I trust nothing like this will ever happen again in my classroom...are we quite clear on the matter?"

Draco's mouth fell open in surprise, unable to believe what had just happened.

"You can't just give them a detention! They did this!" he pointed accusingly at the two Gryffindors. "You should have them both expelled, ma'am."

Kat frowned at him in annoyance. Bloody suck-up. "I will decide the consequences around here, thank you Mr. Malfoy. Dismissed!"

Slumping his shoulders, Draco turned to walk out of the classroom. After shrugging her shoulders to Harry, Hermione also turned to follow him out. Harry glanced at Kat, eyebrow arched curiously, before also turning to leave. Kat, however, stopped him by calling his name. He turned, looking as if he feared she had changed her mind and would deduct points from his house after all. Kat, however, merely smiled, gazing at him in a strange way.

"You look so much like your father... its amazing," she breathed.

Harry blinked in surprise, then turned back and approached her desk. When he spoke, his voice was softer. "You knew my father?"

"Your mum, too, though I was closer to her," her smile grew.

Harry swallowed a bit, stopping just at the edge of her desk. "How did you know them?"

"I attended Hogwarts as a student with them...they were such a beautiful couple, and so perfect for each...their marriage was ideal for them from the start.."

"Right," he suddenly cut in abruptly, looking uncomfortable. "Its wonderful that you know, but I really must get going...don't want to be late for my next class." He forced a weak smile.

She nodded, returning the smile as her eyes lingered on his eyes, studying his features and comparing them to her memory of James and Lily... it really was astounding.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to keep you from your classes," she spoke, arching a brow and standing. "Well, have a wonderful day, Harry."

And with, Harry had turned and moved on his way. Once he was gone, she collapsed into her chair with another sigh, feeling exhausted even though it was only the second day of her job, really. Students could do that to you, after all. All that Kat could hope was that new jobs were always this hard the first couple days, and that the rest of her day could certainly not get any worse.

**D**innertime that evening found the three musketeers sitting in their usual spots together at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. The usual chatter of the four houses of students filled the room, along with the common sounds of utensils clanging against plates and goblets being set down or picked up. A few places down, Fred and George Weasley were excitedly weaving the tale of their newest, most brilliant trick pulled in Transfigurations class to a mesmerized group of first years. Hermione was getting on to Ron, his nose now mended but still quite sore, about fighting with Draco at their DADA class. He, meanwhile, was pretending to listen, while in reality his mind was only focused on one thing: the delicious chicken leg he was hungrily working on. Ron couldn't help but grin lightly, however. Somewhere, in the midst of Hermione's boring tirade, he could pick up on hints of gratitude and admiration for what he'd done for her. That made his getting his nose and wand broken worthwhile.

Young Harry, meanwhile, did not participate in his friends' conversation. He just sat there, striking, green eyes staring straight ahead but not really seeing anything. Food upon his plate was left untouched, as was the iced pumpkin juice in his goblet. For a moment, Collin and Dennis Creevey attempted to strike up conversation with him from across the table, but finally, and miraculously enough, they gave up, choosing instead to ramble on endlessly to Neville Longbottom, much to his dismay. Ron was the first to notice his quiet friend's brooding.

"You alright, Harry?" he asked.

No answer. Ron exchanged a look with Hermione, then nudged his shoulder. Harry jerked his head to them in surprise, startling them both.

"Sorry...what?"

Hermione frowned. "What's wrong, Harry? You've hardly spoken a word since our DADA class."

"Was it about something Malfoy said?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes. "Because if it is, I'll gladly go back and finish what I began..."

"You will do no such thing!" Hermione snapped, sending him a nasty look.

Harry smiled slightly, but shook his head. "Its not Draco. I could care less about him, now."

"Then what was it?" Ron pried impatiently, finishing off his chicken leg.

Harry sighed, absently running a hand through his untidy, jet black hair.

"Its something Professor Celeste said... after you two went to the hospital wing." He hesitated, but there was no stopping now. "She said she knew my parents, when they were all students here."

Hermione smiled warmly, raising her brows. "Well, that's wonderful, then! She can probably tell you all sorts of stories about your parents, and maybe even Sirius and Remus. Wouldn't it be exciting to hear how they did in class?"

Ron grinned with a nod of agreement. "Maybe she can even tell you what a dork Snape was back then, or about the brilliant pranks the Marauders pulled on the git! There's a story that's sure to get me through another one of his potions classes."

Hermione rolled her eyes a bit, but Harry didn't laugh. He'd gone quiet again, eyes focused on his food. Ron quirked an eyebrow curiously at his silence.

"So, erm... did she tell you any stories about your parents?"

He sighed softly. "I think she was going to, but... I wouldn't let her. I left before she could."

"But Harry, why?" Hermione asked in bewilderment. It just didn't make sense to the logical girl.

"Hearing about what my parents were like won't bring them back," he said quietly, voice suddenly cold and strained. "And...it won't make me feel any better. What happened in the past is best left in the past. They're dead, and I have to go on with my life...alone."

With that said, he suddenly stood, murmuring an excuse, and walked out. Hermione and Ron were left, blinking at each other in confusion.

"Alone? But...he's got us, and Sirius!" Ron protested with a frown. "What do you suppose that was all about?"

She just shook her head, following their sad friend's exit with her gaze.

"Oh, Harry..."


	4. An Evening Visit

**T**hat evening found professor Kathrynne Celeste seat behind her desk quite comfortably in her cozy, plush chair of spotless crimson fabric. Her office wasn't particularly fancy, really. A few candles were lit here and there, wafting the pleasant fragrance of vanilla in the air. Fewer pictures decorated the walls, including one of her graduating class from Hogwarts, a picture of the Kneazle she'd owned as a student, and finally one containing a portrait of a woman in her early twenties who had short, red hair, much like Kat's. She was smiling, waving, and occasionally sticking her tongue out. A roaring fire had been lit in an elegant fireplace that had intricate designs of dragons and hippogriffs carved into its polished redwood. The firelight played golden in her reddish locks which laid tamed against her shoulders. As for her medium sized desk, parchment papers, a brand new quill, ink jar, and a couple books on the dark arts were laid out quite neatly. She hadn't been teaching there for very long, after all...Kat would have plenty of chances to become her usual disorganized and somewhat messier self.

Kat was blissfully grading a batch of vampire essays from her fourth year students, quite content in the silence of her office. She had eaten dinner in her office mainly for three reasons. One was so she could get a head start on reading the papers in peace. Another was to escape having to see Harry again. His face had brought back a flood of memories from her youth, some bad, some good, but all making her feel quite lonely. As for the last reason...

It was now urgently knocking on her door.

"Come in," she called, not looking up from her grading.

In one swift movement the door opened and shut quietly, while somewhere in between a tall and seemingly very irate shadow of a man appeared. Looking rather out of place in the cheery decor of her office, the figure loomed silently by the door frame, glaring cooly and awaiting some sort of recognition from her.

Kat really didn't need to look up to know who it was. His very presence, while silent, filled the room. She'd been half expecting him, but she had also been half-wistfully-hoping her evening would lack his 'oh-so-_charming_' conversation.

"Professor Snape," she forced a bit of sweetness into her otherwise very dry voice. "To what do I owe the... _honor_ of your visit?"

The scowl upon the sallow skin of Snape's angular face deepened, and he slowly crossed his arms on his chest. With his slicked back, greasy hair matching the color of his black robes, he looked...well, like he always did.

"While I will be the first to admit that you do play 'dumb' very well," he spoke, cooly sarcastic, "I won't have you insult my intelligence. It's a waste of my time." He raised a brow with an indignant sniff. "However, if you insist on it, I shall oblige you and play along. I came to discuss the matter of the ridiculous amount of points that my Slytherin house seems to have lost today...at your hands."

Calmly and slowly, she set her quill aside, then folded her hands atop her desk. Taking a deep breath, she finally gazed up at him evenly with those hazel eyes.

"It was quite necessary, I assure you. Each point taken off was well deserved."

She paused, but plunged on, unable to resist.

"Really...I thought it was about time to put these Slytherins in their place...wouldn't you agree?"

Her tone was cool and gaze narrowed. Snape seemed a little taken back by her question, obviously insulted. However, that cool composure of his returned a short moment later.

"It would seem that Slytherins aren't the ones that need to be put in their place, Miss Celeste."

Kat shrugged her shoulders, clearly not shaken one bit. "Of course. If I recall correctly, you deducted a good number of points from Gryffindor today, but not a single one from your beloved Slytherin house. Imagine that."

He stared her down, those tunnel-like eyes glinting dangerously.

"And imagine that your wonderfully innocent Gryffindor students purposely sent a Ravenclaw third year to the hospital wing today. Mr. Davenport is temporarily blind due to their thoughtless pranks...not to mention that he's going to be stuck with the smell of burnt hair for quite a few days as well, I expect." She scowled at that, eyes narrowing with her first sign of disgust at the man that evening.

"An accident, I'm sure," she spoke through slightly gritted teeth.

"An accident that an ingredient I do not keep in my classroom found its way into that poor boy's potion?" he arched a brow. "Its quite a stretch, but I expect you Gryffindors try to bend the truth to suit your needs. I really should have expected no less of a 'professional' answer from you."

Well, Kat was clearly quite insulted by that, but she refused to let it fuel her patient temper. "Funny, but imagine that also earlier today, thanks to one of your delightful Slytherin students, a Gryffindor student who now sports a broken, and quite useless wand... not to mention a broken nose."

Snape frowned just a bit. "And how did that occur?"

"Fighting, of course, which I'm quite sure this Slytherin student who shall remain unnamed started. Surely such an act is punishable by a sizeable deduction of points..." She arched an eyebrow defiantly. "Or perhaps fighting in class is something you like to overlook?"

He decided to ignore that comment. "Who were the students involved?"

"I really don't see how that's any of your business."

Those dark eyes narrowed menacingly. "As head of the opposing house involved, I demand that you tell me so I may confront the student on my own terms. That is my right, you know, and it is your duty to cooperate with me in such matters."

Her voice became slightly mocking. "I see, so you can go and congratulate your student on a job well done?"

"Did I say I condone fighting? Because I most certainly do not..." he sneered at her, statuesque poise stiffening a bit, "regardless of the house they belong to."

"...But you do tend to overlook your Slytherin students' point- deduction worthy actions," she snorted slightly, "or so I've heard. The amount or points you take off-or lack, thereof- quite proves this, however."

His expression didn't change. "You've been informed incorrectly. However, if you do not wish to tell me yourself, then I shall find out by other means."

Kat sighed a bit, wanting nothing more than for him to do just that. Anything to get him out of her hair so she could return to the peaceful bliss of her quiet solitude...alone. However, she couldn't just not answer his question.

"Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle started the fight in my classroom. Due to this, Mr. Ronald Weasley now owns the broken wand and nose, hence the deduction of points from your house."

Snape merely nodded thoughtfully. "What was the fight about? Do you know?"

She looked disgusted at that, but her bitter feelings were not directed at Snape. "I don't know. They wouldn't tell me. I just walked into my first class with the Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years to find the two opposing gangs wrestling on the ground, wands aside and forgotten." She frowned grimly. "The rest of the class was gathered around watching like it was some sort of bloody entertaining show."

"No doubt the quarrel began with Potter and Malfoy then spread to their trusty side kicks," he scowled with distaste, furrowing his high brow in thought, "and I say this because, quite frankly, I don't think that Crabbe and Goyle have enough... 'ambition' to pick a fight with Potter or Weasley."

It was questionable whether Snape had been insinuating the word 'brains' instead of 'ambition' by the tone of his voice. Kat picked up on this, and arched an eyebrow in slight surprise at the comment. She was almost unable to believe he'd just insulted his students like that.

"Well, I understand Draco and Harry have practically been at each other's throats since their first year here. Grudges will never die, I suppose."

"No, I expect they don't," he spoke, then paused. "However, I wish that you had consulted me before taking the matters into your own hands." Snape turned his overlarge nose up at her and clasped his hands smugly behind his back. "Matters involving Mr. Malfoy and Potter are...delicate."

Her thoughtful expression gave way once again to a slight scowl. "It was my classroom. I do have the authority to handle situations that occur there myself."

"You have the authority but apparently not the knowledge to know how to use it and where its appropriate."

Well, so much for having a 'civilized' conversation with Snape.

Kat snorted, retorting with the same biting sarcasm. "Oh, and you're one to talk."

"I know my place, Miss Celeste..." he said, that silky tone usually reserved to keep students in check hinted at in his deep voice. That mellifluous sound was like a dangerous hiss in the otherwise quiet office. "You should learn yours."

Narrowing her gaze, clearly becoming quite outraged by his comments, she slowly stood up from her chair to her full height...though it was still a bit under his.

"My title is _Professor_ Celeste, Severus," she spoke in a quiet, deadly voice that wavered slightly in her anger. She wasn't about to grace him with any sort of title whatsoever. "And I know my place. I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...and you are not." She arched a brow cooly. "Any questions?"

"Just one, Miss Celeste," he spoke, rather amused by her sudden display of spirit. Not too many people would have the backbone to stand up to him like that. "How do you get that swelled head of yours through that narrow door way over there?" He gestured mockingly with a sweep of his boney hand, tone becoming dangerously soft. "You seem quite sure of yourself. I don't think you have even the slightest clue who you're provoking."

Kat narrowed her eyes, unwilling to let the slight nervousness she felt deep inside show on her brave facade. She was too damned furious to let that happen. Keeping with her own calm, mocking sarcasm, she chose to not dignify his question with an answer.

"How do you get that abnormally, disgustingly, odiously large nose through your narrow door?" She snorted after that long, rather unnecessary display of adjectives. "I'm not afraid of you."

Snape leaned on her desk, his elbows locking him in a threatening position hovering over her. "You should be."

"And why should I be?" she bit out, trying to keep her voice and glare as strong as possible. "You won't do anything to me. You can't. You don't have what it takes."

"Is that a challenge?" he locked his icy black eyes on hers, thin lips contorting into a cruel sneer.

"You've got a smidgen of common sense. You figure it out," she shot back.

Her hazel eyes glinted by the firelight in her glare, too flustered and furious to realize she was now leaning too close to the potions master for either of their own good. Snape was quite clearly infuriated by that as he suddenly shoved a long, sinewy finger right in her face.

"Its not hard to figure out a simpleton like yourself. Of course, if I wanted to lower myself to your brain level, I might have to relearn how to button the clasps on my robe."

Kat seethed at that one, face going slightly red. "Oh, well that's rich. Very mature comeback! Bravo! Wonderful added touch to the insult!" The sarcasm practically oozed from her voice now, as she reached up to push away the finger in irritation. "Were I a student again, I might take offense...well, might being the strong keyword there."

He looked galled by the fact that she had the audacity to actually 'push' him and it shown clearly in his expression.

"Apparently you astound me again. I didn't even think that the remark I had made would register with you. I suppose you have a little more brain power than that of a common river troll..." He shrugged his shoulders quite carelessly.

Kat had to snort very unattractively to hide how mad she really was. "Again, you amaze me with your childish insults! Really, I imagine I'd hear that from a first year Slytherin student." Caught up in the moment of annoyance and fury, she leaned even closer, narrowing her fiery eyes. "Is that the best you can do? If it is, its really rather sad."

And Snape leaned closer still. "Some of us have better things to do with our time than bicker with arrogant Gryffindors."

"Then why are you still here?" she hissed.

"Simply because you seem to enjoy my company so very much."

She scowled, really quite close to her last nerve. "There is... nothing... enjoyable about your presence in my office."

It was a bit funny, however, that she didn't try to move from the close proximity of Snape.

"Oh really?" he locked eyes with her again, a brow raised in mocking fashion. "Perhaps you should share your definition of enjoyable with me? Mine obviously seems to differ with yours..."

Well, Snape's definition involved annoying the hell out of people. As for hers? That was anybody's bloody guess, really...though, Snape had a sneaking suspicion it was along the lines of severely pissing people off.

"That's simple. My definition of enjoyable would involve anyone- anything- but you."

He sneered as he studied her expression. Kat's cheeks were quite red with fury...her eyes sparkling with rage...and her lips set in a grim line of anger. Brilliant. He smirked in his usual evil fashion, quite satisfied with himself.

"Then you'd find Voldemort's company more...aesthetically...pleasing?"

Her eyes widened in slight surprise at that. Bloody git. She hadn't expected anything like that. It took a couple of heartbeats to regain her composure, or what was left of it after that comment.

"Well, I'm afraid the comparison is really just too close to say for sure."

She tried to mimic his sneer. Snape scowled at her. Being likened to what he considered an "evil bastard" was more than he could stand...not to mention it brought back unpleasant, horrible images...she was really pushing it, now.

"Miss Celeste, I hardly find that amusing. That was a bit low...even for your appalling standards."

She raised her eyebrows, mocking a sympathetic expression.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry...was amusing Sevie Snape included in the requirements of this job?"

"That's Professor Snape to you. Don't call me 'Sevie.' "

"Then don't call me Miss Celeste."

"Believe you me..there are a few things that I'd love to call you that I can think of off the top of my head...though they are hardly appropriate for mentioning in mixed company."Oh, yes. It was his turn to be the mocking one, his angular features contorting into a twisted smirk. "Besides...that is your name, isn't it? Miss Kathrynne Celeste?"

The blatant contempt nearly made her snap. Face going redder at the insult, if at all possible, her eyes widened in obvious shock and fury. When she spoke, she had to fight to control the balance of her voice.

"Only my friends and those people I really like can call my Kathrynne. Only those I'm acquainted with and who don't know any better may call me Miss Celeste. You will call me Professor Celeste...call me anything else and face the consequences."

Snape was, of course, amused. "And what...oh, please do tell... are these 'consequences?' "

Unable, at that moment, to think clearly and back up her threat, she only snorted. "I am the Defense against the Dark arts, teacher, so I'm sure I can handle whatever 'magic' you normally indulge in...and I'll just surprise you."

He grinned at her as only Snape could, his voice becoming barely above a whisper as he brought his face even closer to hers just to infuriate her more by invading her personal space. "And you forget how well I know the dark arts...If you expect that statement to scare me, then you are sadly mistake again... _Miss_ Celeste."

She swallowed slightly, clearly quite unnerved and uncomfortable by being so damn close to him. Something had changed...the situation suddenly made her feel very uneasy, as well as something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Get out of my face," she hissed in a harsh whisper, but strangely enough, did not make any move away herself. Snape seemed to pick up on her sudden vulnerability with pleasure.

"And if I don't?"

Kat didn't answer his question directly. "This is my office...I demand that you leave, right this instant."

But her voice suddenly wavered quite noticeably, and her heartbeat quickened in her chest. His silky voice was intoxicating her...there faces were inches apart...she found herself getting lost in those dark eyes...and after the long verbal argument, she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"I'd...like...to...see...you...make...me..." he raised a brow in a challenge, obviously enjoying this new effect he was having on her.

The next moment would later seem like a blur to Kat. It almost felt as if she weren't really herself, but somehow out of her body. Quite suddenly, she reached out to grab the front of his robes much like a snake striking its prey, her hands digging into the fabric with a death grip. And then, she did something that neither could have predicted or believed she would do when he had first walked into her office...she brought him down to her and pressed her lips against his. The only problem was, the kiss was anything but passionate or tender. It was the exact opposite: forceful, hard, and a mad tangle of twisting lips.

Quite too shocked to resist, Snape found himself pulled into the kiss...but, to his own surprise, after this outrage registered in his brain, he made no movement to pull away. His hands instinctively went to cover hers as they clutched his robe...but was he holding them there or getting ready to pry them off...?

He did finally pull away, however, breaking free from her tight grasp and feeling as though she'd probably ripped his robes in the process of removing her claws. He just stared at her, eyes wide, and too stunned to speak.

Kat stared back for a moment, swallowing hard. Moments ago, she had meant to do something harmful to him...certainly not...that... She'd only kissed him. The entire atmosphere of the room had suddenly changed...and she could hardly comprehend it all.

"Miss...Miss...Ce...Professor Cel..." Snape finally stammered, trying desperately to regain his fleeting composure. He was absolutely flabbergasted. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before and he was quite caught off guard by it...and disturbed, on a number of levels.

Kat was suddenly rather embarrassed, a blush crossing her features. Quickly lowering her hazel eyes to look anywhere but at him, she busied herself with stacking her papers neatly on the desk.

"I warned you I would surprise you," she muttered very uneasily.

Snape blushed when he noticed her blush, but of course his wasn't quite as obvious...though, a pink tinge did dust those hollow cheeks of his.

"Surprise is hardly the word for that, I can assure you..."

Kat swallowed again, suddenly seeming to find her hands very interesting as she stared at them.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, all sarcasm gone. "I...please do not think me a 'scarlet' woman...or anything like that..."

He also swallowed, trying to retreat to familiar territory in his mind: insults, anger, and snide comments. "The color of your cheeks would suggest the very title."

Surprisingly enough, she smirked softly at that. Snape looked as if he might almost crack the tiniest of smiles...but he didn't.

"While I cannot even begin to understand what was going on inside your head...I will not pretend that I am not absolutely appalled by your actions..." His tone was so unconvincing. While he no longer stammered, he did shake a bit as he fumbled for the right words. "And...and...word of this must never get out..."

Kat nodded quickly in agreement, still unable to bring herself to meet the gaze she had been glaring into only moments before...how quickly things truly had changed.

"Of course...I suppose...you can go now," she said quietly, also at a loss for elegant words. "No reason for you to want to stay...any longer..."

"No...no...I don't suppose that there...that there is any reason for me to prolong this... business... visit... as, it seems, all the business is taken care of..."

Poor, poor Severus Snape. What kind of disease had she inflicted upon him? The once so articulate and fluid-speaking mannerisms of the Potions Master, so proper and refined...and that beautiful voice to boot...reduced to a bumbling Hagrid wannabe.

Snape began back peddling towards the door, his eyes still locked warily on her general person.

"Yes..and I need to get some sleep..." she nodded vigorously again in agreement, then made the mistake of glancing back into his eyes and getting lost in their depths. She couldn't help but think how beautifully intense his eyes really were...why had she never noticed that before?

Snape shifted uncomfortably under her studious gaze, hastily breaking eye contact. He needed out. Now. His back bumped into the door and he felt around behind him blindly for that damn handle.

Kat watched him. She probably would have found the situation amusing, if she didn't feel like hexing herself for kissing him...that...way. Really, it had been so forceful...and oh, bloody hell, she thought in annoyance. Why as everything so confusing? As he groped for the handle, she was able to find her voice once more, unable to just let him walk out this way.

"Goodnight...Professor." It was spoken barely above a whisper.

"Erm...ah...yes." Snape finally found the handle, turning it with a soft slick. "Goodnight...Right."

But he was unable to stop himself from meeting her gaze once more, thoughts a complete, confused mess. Breath catching in his dry throat, he opened the door and practically leapt out of her classroom. With that...Kathrynne once again found herself alone in her office. She looked about with disgust, broke the short-lived silence with an defeated, exasperated sigh.

_What had just happened here?_


	5. Return of an Old Friend

Authors notes: Keep reviewing. Tell all your friends about my story. Thanks. :D

* * *

**P**rofessors Snape and Celeste's paths did not cross at breakfast the next morning, or at lunch nor dinner. The reason for this was because the potions master did not show for the meals at all. Kathrynne should have been happy enough to have escaped what would most likely be an awkward moment around him, however, she couldn't help but feel...troubled. This disease caused her much annoyance. When she finally asked Dumbledore quite casually where the man might be, his only answer was that Snape was busy with his work and had taken meals in his office. Those bright eyes behind the half-moon spectacles twinkled softly, however, and Kat somehow knew the headmaster was lying, while at the same time he knew she would know why. This only infuriated her more. Snape was avoiding her. Bloody perfect. She suddenly wished vehemently that last night's events had never happened. Her foul mood, unfortunately, shone through in that day's classes. Even Fred and George's lighthearted attitudes could not brighten her outlook on everything. Nothing could cheer her up. 

That late evening brought a turn of events. The great oak doors to the entrance of Hogwarts opened very slowly, letting in the sounds of crickets and other more magical creatures of the night. Through the dim light of the torches, a large shadow moved inside cautiously and silently, low to the ground...

...and on all fours.

Yes, Padfoot had returned. The giant black dog thrust his mighty nose into the air, taking in a few whiffs of the air. Countless different smells hit his acute senses as they always did when in that animagus form. He was able to decipher a few familiar smells, however, and turning with satisfaction, began padding off down a hallway. The man inside him knew he should not have come to visit this late, but the boy inside him couldn't help it. He did miss his godson, after all...and he just couldn't pass up the chance to visit a certain old friend.

Meanwhile, Professor Severus Snape had found his solitude inside the library, dark and empty as it usually was at this time of night. Blending into the shadows in his pitch black attire, he snaked a hand into his robes, sinewy fingers curling around his wand as he took it out.

"Incendio."

Instantly, various torches around the room emitted flames and a warm, blazing fire appeared in the large marble hearth towards the center of the room. Nodding once in satisfaction, he returned the wand to his robes, then started towards the book cases. Moving stealthily and silently, those big paws carried the grim in the direction of the Gryffindor common room...coincidently, passing right by the library. Naturally, the dog picked up the familiar scent of someone whom if he ever saw again, it would most definitely be too soon. Growling very low and softly deep in his throat, he paused in the doorway to the torch- lit room, briefly considering his next move. As always with Sirius Black, however, his emotions quickly took over and decided for him. Laying his ears back against his head, he furtively slunk into the library, teeth bared and glinting in the light.

Snape suddenly jumped slightly as the peaceful quiet was jarred by the shrill laughter of Peeves. The ghost was apparently causing a ruckus in a neighboring corridor somewhere. Sighing irritably, he frowned and waited as the noise vanished as suddenly as it had come. With that, he moved off towards the potions section, the towering shelves lined with hundreds of books he could pick through to his heart's desire. Yes, he had been avoiding a certain DADA teacher all day. Yes, his thoughts had been nearly as full of turmoil as her own. Finally, however, Snape was able to find the peace he'd been longing for since late last night. He smiled slightly to himself as his dark gaze moved over the worn bindings lining the shelves, having read each and every one of them from cover to cover. He practically had them all memorized, but, nevertheless, he enjoyed reading through them again and again. Besides, it never hurt to brush up on things you already knew. He spent most of his free time perusing the walls of books, somehow feeling more at peace within the four walls of the library than anywhere else. Even as a boy the room had been his sanctuary, much as if was for young Miss Granger...though he would never have verbally admitted to sharing common ground with the know-it-all girl.

Sirius Black moved through the shadows, eyes flashing maliciously as he finally came across the tall, greasy-haired, and completely abhorrent figure. For a moment, still unseen, he watched him warily, teeth bared in what could have been the equivalent to a mischievous doggy grin. Lovely images from their past as students returned to his memory...sneaking dung bombs into the hood and back of Snape's robes during potions class...turning his hair into little blond ringlets... replacing all green Slytherin towels with bright pink ones... even tricking him into going to the Shrieking Shack that fateful night. Those had certainly been the best days of Sirius's life; days spent with the best friends he'd ever had...James, Lily, Remus and Peter...but so much had changed since then. James and Lily were dead, Peter had betrayed them all, and Remus's curse harmed him more than ever these days...not to mention that Voldemort and his death eaters were gaining power again. Well, in a time when there was so much to worry about, it was nice to enjoy life's little pleasures. So, unable to contain himself any longer, and certainly not stopping to think about the consequences, he suddenly lunged forward. There was a great ripping noise as he took a large bite out of Snape's robes...tearing off a piece of material clear through to the dress pants he wore underneath.

Snape gave an outraged cry at the sudden attack, turning with a murderous glazed look to seek out his assailant. Eyes narrowed dangerously at the dog whose tail was wagging happily, the piece of material in his jaws. But then, he quickly took off in the direction of his own sanctuary. Snape, for a surprised moment, watched the dog go, knowing exactly who it had been.

"Damn you, Black!" he snarled.

Sirius snorted in doggy laughter as he padded out of the library and through the hallways, quite pleased with himself. In his mouth he carried his beloved new trophy, thanks to one Severus Snape.

Snape seethed, thin hands curling into fists at his sides. It took all the control he had to not take out his wand and go after the grim with intentions of hexing or cursing him. However, he made no move to go after the despicable fleebag, not feeling it worth his time or energy. He was reasonably sure it would only result in more trouble...and he simply wasn't interested in Sirius Black's nonsensical games. Nodding, he turned back to the bookshelf, trying to simply ignore what had happened.

"Just pick a book and read, damn you, Severus," he scowled to himself, grabbing a large, reddish colored book and thrusting it open, large nostrils flaring.

Kat was grading papers at her desk when the massive dog padded in, still carrying the piece of fabric from Snape's robes. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she watched, too stunned to speak, as the dog wagged his tail excitedly, then paused before her desk. With that, he transformed into his human self, dark hair uncut and wearing street clothes that were smudged with dirt in certain places. She was so shocked that she yelped and jumped suddenly, overbalancing and falling out of her chair with a loud thud. Sirius Black, meanwhile, spit out his trophy, face contorted with disgust.

"Disgusting! Doesn't he ever bathe?" he growled, then frowned, noticing Kat's disappearance. He edged forward and peered around her desk. "Professor Celeste?"

Kat was sprawled back in a sitting position, wand aimed at him. Her hand, however, was shaking terribly, and though she tried to stay calm, her wide, frantic eyes betrayed her emotions.

"Stay back, Black!" she shot out at him, voice wavering noticeably. "Don't come any closer! I swear I will put the...crucio curse on you...or scream for Dumbledore! You'll be back at Azkaban b-before you can say 'Voldemort'!"

"Please do call for Dumbledore," he said quietly. "He could prove to you I'm innocent."

She frowned at him suspiciously, wondering what he was playing at. Whatever it was, she decided she wasn't about to give in that easily.

Sirius sighed heavily, eyeing her wand with distaste. "Kitty Kat, put your wand away."

She frowned when he spoke that old nickname, the one he'd so fondly used when they had been students. Her hazel eyes met his dark ones and paused there...before widening in surprise. Her breath caught in her throat momentarily with what she saw there, and suddenly memories flooded back to her. Kat could remember his hearty laugh and the way its sparkle traveled to his eyes as if she'd just heard the sound yesterday. She could suddenly feel the soft touch of his untidy hair as she brushed her fingers through the strands, and those strong, yet surprisingly thin arms around her in a protective embrace... the handsome, youthful charmer whose spell she'd fallen under so long ago...

Sirius had slowly stepped closer and lowered to his knees, watching her carefully. Hand was still held out, eyes searching her own, his movements slow in hopes of not scaring the girl.

"Kathrynne," he whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you. Its just me. You know me."

Something suddenly clicked in her brain. Sirius Black. Killer of James and Lily Potter. Escaped fugitive. Bad. Very bad. Her mind quickly catching up with her and the situation, Kat's hand began shaking again, and she quickly reached up to steady the wand with her other hand.

"How dare you talk to me as if we're old friends, you...vile betrayer! Everyone trusted you!"

He grimaced a bit, unhappily, at that. Back to the drawing board. "There's a certain truth to that, but...its not what you think."

"Why, Sirius? Why James and Lily?" she spat, near hysterics. "How could you?"

Sirius looked away, closing his eyes briefly. "So Dumbledore has not told you anything, then?"

"Oh, the Ministry told me enough!" she snarled, gaining back her self- control. "I'm sure they'll be very pleased to get you back behind bars."

He frowned darkly, reaching a hand inside his pants pocket. "Sorry to have to do this to you, but I'm afraid I have no choice...expelliarmus!"

Kat blinked in surprise as her wand flew from her hand and into Sirius's, so that he now held her wand and his own, leaving her completely defenseless. She glared up at him from the floor, though a bit of fear flickered in her eyes now. With both wands, he could surely put a curse on her before she even had time to scream for help.

"Now will you listen to me?" he asked impatiently.

Before she could answer, however, the door to her classroom suddenly flew open with a loud bang. In walked none other than Professor Severus Snape, glaring murderously at Sirius and baring his teeth in a deadly sneer. He quickly swept his gaze from Sirius, two wands in hand, then to Kat, still sprawled out on the floor. Putting two and two together, he gripped his wand tightly, pointing it at Sirius, and approached slowly.

"Drop the wands and step away from her, Black!" he snarled.

Sirius rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, hell."

Impatient, Snape waved his wand at Sirius and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Due to the anger and fury behind that word, Sirius was lifted off of his feet and thrown into the wall behind him violently. Snape caught the two wands easily, pocketing them both while keeping his own fixed on Sirius. Sirius grimaced in pain but set his mouth into a vicious growl, eyes narrowed with pure hatred.

"I should have known you'd pull a trick like this, Black," Snape spoke more calmly now, stepping closer. "I knew they were all wrong about you...Dumbledore trusts much too easily...and now I can prove it to him, at long last. I've waited for this moment for so long..."

He flicked his gaze to Kat, whose eyes were wide and mouth open slightly in surprise at the events she'd just witnessed. She dutifully shut her mouth when Snape scowled at her.

"Brilliant defenses you've used against this bit of the dark arts, Miss Celeste," he spoke, coldly sarcastic, and intentionally not gracing her with the title of 'Professor.' "What were you planning to do next? Trip a full-grown, armed convict? Or perhaps talk his ear off? Boring someone to death certainly is your greatest ability."

Kat regained her composure at that, narrowing her eyes at the repulsive man towering before her. It infuriated her that he was taking time out to insult her, right in front of the fugitive. Really. The man could act a bit more professionally. She opened her mouth to send back a retort, but it never came out. At that moment, Sirius gave a roar of rage, then lunged at Snape, who turned his head back to him too late. The wand was flung from his hand as the two men toppled to the ground, Sirius's hands like claws around Snape's throat. All the potions master could do was struggle against that lethal grip.

Kat, meanwhile, finally snapped to her senses. Jumping to her feet, she made a mad dash around her desk to where Snape's wand lie on the ground near the students' desk. She picked it up and aimed it at the grunting men whose fighting was quickly becoming deadly for Snape. Then, however, she paused, mind spinning and unable in that moment to think up a spell to separate them.

"Tie...him...up!" Snape somehow managed to choke out, his flushed face paler than usual. Sirius's hands were rather tight around his neck. Kat blinked.

"Oh. Right!" She waved the wand, and with a bang, both men were tied together, back to back, and standing up. A snakelike cord also went around each of their mouths, muffling their surprised and irritated protests. Unable to move anything, even their feet, they turned two pairs of venomous, dark eyes on her. Kat was unable to tell which gaze held more hatred for her at that moment. She ignored this, however, giving a satisfied nod and pocketing his wand.

"Well. That's much better," she smiled only a bit, quite pleased to have her composure back and be in complete control of the situation. "Now, before we all go and pay a lovely visit on Albus, I think I will take these, Severus..."

She approached Snape then hesitantly reached a hand into the top part of his robes. His dark eyes widened angrily and his pale face flushed at the brief placement of the back of her hand against his chest as she took the two wands out of a hidden pocket. Kat, however, didn't seem to notice. She pocketed the two wands with Snape's.

"Shall I summon Albus, then? I daresay I'd look very ridiculous dragging you two down the hallway on this leash, should Filch or a student chance to see us," she arched an eyebrow.

The two could only glower at her viciously, both having realized trying to say anything through the cords was pointless. Snape was probably thinking evil, murderous thoughts about the woman. Sirius just looked more annoyed than anything. However, with their equallyad tempers, it was hard to tell the difference...

**"...a**nd so, it was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed James and Lily Potter all along, and might as well have killed them. Disguised as Scabbers, he had played this charade for many long years, until luckily for all of us, Sirius came along," Albus Dumbledore was saying, sitting behind Kathrynne's desk and leaning back in her chair.

He smoothed out his long, luminescent white beard, peering up at them with sparkling blue eyes over half moon spectacles. Across from him stood Kat, who appeared completely interested in the story he was weaving. On either side of her stood the now untied Snape and Sirius, though each refused to look at each other, and if they chanced to meet gazes, it was with icy glares. There was certainly tension still in the air. Neither appeared completely cheerful towards Kat, either, though that was not saying much for Snape.

"I trust Sirius with my life," Albus smiled to him, and the other returned it quietly. Snape, however, snorted rather loudly. Albus chuckled lightly, turning his gaze to the dark man. "As I do my life with you as well, Severus. You and Sirius are both great assets to the Order of Phoenix; each with great talents and skills to aid with the battle against Lord Voldemort."

Snape's gaze darkened slightly, but he didn't say anything. Kat frowned, stepping forward and finally venturing to speak up.

"The Order of the Phoenix?" she asked curiously. "What's that?"

Albus smiled warmly to her. "Ah. So nice of you to join in the conversation, Kathrynne. I suppose now is as good a time as any to finally let you in on our secret. You do belong united with us, after all."

Snape decided then was a good time to put in his own word.

"Are you sure that is wise, Headmaster?" he hissed in a low voice, stepping closer in hopes that Kat couldn't hear him. She could, of course. "How can you be so sure we can trust her? She's only been teaching here for less than a week. We can't be certain where her loyalties lie..."

Kat glared at those comments, feeling her temper flare only slightly. She refused to let him provoke her again, especially after what had happened...last night...but strangely, thoughts of those events somehow didn't anger her any further...

"Nonsense, Severus. Kat is a very capable witch and I am completely sure her devotion remains with us," he spoke firmly to the potions master, before turning a softened gaze back on Kat. "She is a fine defense against the dark arts teacher."

A hot blush hit Kat's features, and she smiled shyly, lowering her gaze at such praise. Snape stepped back into the shadows, a sneer returning to his lips.

"So...the Order of Phoenix isbasically a secret, undercover group of witches and wizards to stop Voldemort and his spread of Death eaters and followers?" she asked, ignoring Snape.

Albus nodded slightly. "Yes...and no. While there are many members of the Order on our Hogwarts staff and those magical ones out in the world who are not teachers, the group is divided among teachers from the other witchcraft and wizardry schools as well. Right now, it is our main duty to keep our students from harm and teach them how to protect and defend themselves from the dark arts. For the moment, that will be your job, my dear." He stood slowly, calmly crossing one hand over the other in front of him and casting his gaze from Sirius to Snape. "Our duties vary in difficulty and importance, though each fits into place of the plan to defeat Voldemort once and for all..."

Kat didn't notice the glares of Sirius and Snape darken at those words, but she did feel uncomfortable in the short moment of silence that followed. She cleared her throat uneasily.

"Headmaster...is there anything else I need to know? Anything I need to do?"

He focused his attention back on her and nodded, as if remembering.

"There is something I must give you, Kathrynne," he spoke, standing to walk around the desk to her side. "The mark of the Phoenix won't hurt you, but it will leave a permanent imprint...at least until all of the danger is gone."

She frowned, more than just a bit bewildered. "The mark of the Phoenix?"

"Yes. It is how we recognize one another, and how we signal each other for meetings. When the mark becomes clearer and glows, it means danger is close."

Snape stirred, but didn't say anything. Sirius stepped forward, pushing back the collar of his shirt to reveal a very light, small kind of tatoo in the shape of a phoenix. Even squinting, Kat could barely make it out.

"Its faint now," Sirius explained, fixing his collar back again. "We haven't seen any trouble. Perhaps the great coward decided to give up."

Snape scowled, his voice oozing coldly into the darkness and sending shivers up Kat's spine.

"Don't hold your breath, Black. Voldemort is just biding his time, gathering his followers so he can strike in full force when you're least expecting it."

Sirius scowled at him, but Dumbledore sent them both a warning look. The two became quiet, silently exchanging venomous glares and sneers which, to Kat, seemed to go beyond schoolboy grudges. Her attention, however, was taken from the two enemies to the incandescent wand now grasped in Dumbledore's hand.

"I promise it won't hurt," he smiled gently, pushing back her reddish locks and the collar of her robes. There was a small shower of red sparks, a slight tingling feeling on her neck, and then it was finished. Dumbledore patted her shoulder reassuringly, pocketing his silver wand and nodding in satisfaction. Though Kat couldn't see it and her hair hid it, she was now aware that the small mark adorned her fair skin, and it slightly unnerved her.

"Now all we do is wait...yes, wait, and continue about our ways of educating the children until the time presents itself that we must join together into action," he spoke, the smile becoming slightly strained.

"Of course, sir," Kat nodded quietly, "and...thank you."

Dumbledore nodded, then turned away from her. "Come, Sirius. Its time we discussed the matter which brought you here to see me."

Sirius cast one last sympathetic, slightly apologetic look Kat's way, and offered a faint smile. She returned it, nodding knowingly, showing that she understood and all between them was forgiven. The gaze lingered for a moment, before Sirius winked to her, then, completely ignoring Snape, turned and walked out of the room with the headmaster. Soft smile playing upon her lips at the memories the ex-marauder had brought back, she absently fingered the mark on her neck. Then, her hazel eyes swept the room to pause upon the only other person still occupying it...and who was clutching his arm in a strange, almost painful way. Snape caught her frown and he sneered, baring those slightly uneven teeth. He made a grand show of sweeping away from her, dark robes billowing about him magnificently with the movement, then strode towards the door. Kat should have been happy enough to have it end there, but something about the back of his robes changed her mind. She reached out a slender hand unconsciously towards him.

"Wait...please, wait."

Strangely enough, something in the softly pleading tone of her voice made him do just that. He did not, however, turn to meet her gaze.

"If you think I'm in any mood to even fathom continuing our 'discussion' from last night, then you are obviously delusional and downright insane, Miss Celeste."

She rolled her eyes a bit. Wonderful. There was that lovely sarcasm he was so known for. Wondering a bit why she was even bothering, Kat took out her wand and waved it in the direction of the back of his robes. "Vieo Reparo."

Instantly, the hole where Padfoot had torn out a patch of fabric stitched itself back up quite neatly. Even the dress pants underneath were repaired to look better than new. Satisfied, she pocketed her wand, just as Snape slowly reached around to examine his repaired robes.

"That's much better now, isn't it?" she asked quietly

Snape turned back around, his dark haze softening a few notches. Then, still fingering the material of his robes, he did something very foreign to him: he showed a bit of gratitude.

"Thank you," he murmured in a voice strangely unlike his usual icy one.

Kat shrugged lightly, voice dry. "It was the least I could do...after my rather unacceptable actions...last night."

The dark eyes met hers for a moment.

"Yes...most unacceptable," he agreed, voice sounding strange to Kat. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly glanced away, letting the sneer of distaste return to his lips, before hurrying out of her office without another word. Sighing softly, she turned back to her desk and walked around it to slump into the chair in exhaustion.

It looked to be another sleepless night for the DADA professor.

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	6. Snuffles

Authors notes: Keep reviewing. Tell all your friends about my story. Thanks. :D

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The next morning there would be a rather unusual, unexpected announcement given at breakfast. As the Great Hall quieted, Albus Dumbledore stood, an evident smile shining through to those bright, blue eyes sparkling behind half-moon spectacles. Glancing behind her, Kat suddenly had an idea as to just exactly what the headmaster was planning on saying. 

"It is with pleasure and a feeling of great honor that I introduce a very special guest who will be staying with us for the better part of this year," he began, quiet voice reaching the students' ears clearly. "He will be our... 'watchdog' of sorts. Everyone," he paused briefly, his gaze flickering pointedly to a group at the Slytherin table, "and I do mean everyone is to treat him with the upmost respect. Please join me in welcoming our very own... Snuffles."

With that, padding out into the open from his hiding spot behind the staff table was none other than...well, Snuffles. There was a moment of stunned silence as the students stared in a mixture of shock, awe, and fear at the large, black dog who sat with his tongue lolling. The sound of enthusiastic applause from three certain Gryffindors, however, broke the silence, and soon the rest of the four houses reluctantly joined in. From her place at the staff table, Kat even cheered loudly. Unsurprisingly, Professor Snape looked anything but pleased.

Dumbledore raised his hands for silence again.

"No one should be alarmed if passing him in the castle. Snuffles is harmless to any and every student and staff member." A rather pointed look was sent the dog's way at this emphasis. "He is here for everyone's protection."

Kat grinned in wry amusement at the obvious hint Dumbledore had made. 'Snuffles' seemed to smirk in doggy laughter. Snape merely scowled.

Once breakfast had started, Kat fed Hogwarts' newest watchdog bits of toast and bacon. She laughed softly as he licked her fingers clean. Snape sneered in disgust, watching from the corner of his eye.

"You be sure to come and visit me sometime, Snuffles," she smiled knowingly, ruffling his dark fur. He licked her hand once more, then padded away.

"Dumbledore is making a grave mistake allowing that flea-bitten mongrel to stay here and you are not helping byencouraging him," Snape hissed quietly. Kat quirked a brow.

"Talking to me again, are you?" she smiled a bit, but also spoke in a quiet voice so teachers around them would not overhear. "I think its wonderful that he'll be so close to his godson. They need each other, especially in these dark times."

Snape just scowled.

While the other students ate breakfast and chattered about school and Quidditch, those very same three Gryffindor friends' talk centered around Dumbledore's announcement.

"You must be so happy, Harry," Hermione commented after a sip of orange juice. "You didn't hear from Sirius very much over the summer, did you?"

"Keep your voice down," Ron hissed, glancing about furtively. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying any attention to the three. Harry, who had been curiously watching Professor Celeste feeding Snuffles, turned back to Hermione and nodded. "I bet he was busy with business involving you-know-who," Ron stated matter- of-factly around a mouthful of toast. "I mean, its probably really secretive. Very hush-hush."

Harry only nodded again, eyeing his untouched breakfast. Part of his summer had been rather long and boring. Of course, any time spent with the Dursleys usually was. Over that time, however, only one letter had come from Sirius, and even that one was short. The other part of his summer had been spent at the Burrow, and so had considerably been more fun. He had been more than excited to see his friends. Hermione, however, had joined the group a bit later than she did the summer before. Speaking of which, she hadn't really mentioned very much about what exactly she did for the better part of her summer.

"Hermione, how was your summer spent at your grandmother's house?" he asked thoughtfully.

Her face suddenly went red with a blush and that chocolate gaze was lowered to her food. Ron and Harry exchanged a curious look.

"Actually," she spoke up reluctantly, "I didn't exactly spend all that time with my grandmother." She paused. "I stayed some with Viktor Krum and his family."

There was silence. Ron's mouth had fallen clear to the table in shock.

"He...took me to an excellent Quidditch match. Got us the best seats..."

"That was very nice of him," Harry said politely, nudging Ron pointedly. He closed his mouth dutifully, muttered something discernable, then turned his grudging glare back to his plate. There was another tense silence. Harry thought they were in the clear, but unfortunately... he was wrong.

"Why don't you just go and marry your precious Viky?" Ron spat.

Hermione's head shot up. "Maybe I will! No reason not to, is there?"

"Hello Snuffles," Harry interrupted loudly.

Both turned to see the black dog sitting there, watching them quite curiously.

"Hi Sir-Snuffles," Hermione smiled sheepishly. Ron nodded, but was still scowling.

"I missed you," Harry said quietly. Snuffles tilted his head to one side thoughtfully, then nudged Harry's arm and secretively set a scrap of parchment paper in his lap. After that, he gazed quite longingly at the untouched food upon his plate. He chuckled, then handed him a few pieces of bacon. The food was quickly gobbled down, a doggy smile was sent there way, then the animagus padded away and out of the Great Hall.

"Well, what does it say?" Hermione asked.

Harry opened the note and read it to himself before passing to the other two.

_Harry, _

I understand you have a free period after your DADA class today. I'll be waiting to talk to you, but Ron and Hermione should go on. I don't want to arouse any more suspicion. Its good to see you again.

Sirius

"You can tell him Hermione couldn't make it, anyway," Ron growled. "She'll be too busy planning her wedding."

"Men! Honestly!"

Kathrynne's second defense against the dark arts class with the Slytherin and the Gryffindor fifth years went quite more smoothly than her first. As she taught, sitting at the front of the class by her desk were none other than Hogwarts' new watchdog: Snuffles. For a dog, he looked rather attentive and alert as she spoke to her class. Luckily, none of the children seemed to pick up on this, save Harry. Once she had the students' attention, Kat began teaching. 

"If you would please get out your book, Dark Wizards and Witches of the Past, I'm afraid we will be doing more reading than anything today," she said, getting a few groans in reply. She smiled quietly. "Yes, I understand how you feel. You will find my class this year will require more serious studying and reading than your third year did."

"Please turn to chapter one," Kat went on, taking out her own book and flipping to the page. "Would anyone like to volunteer to read for us? Ah, Hermione. Go ahead."

It was no surprise Hermione had been the most eager volunteer. She began reading in a proud, quite important-sounding voice. The chapter talked about one of the earliest known dark wizards, called simply Dividus. The book concentrated on a curse he used often, called the Calamitatis Curse. Its effects on its victim were to completely take away all of the wizard or witch's powers. Harry shuddered visibly. He could only imagine how terrible it would be to have no powers whatsoever...Kat finally stopped Hermione so she could discuss the curse in more detail, however, only succeeding to make Harry feel worse.

"This curse has been said by many to be the cruelest curse to afflict upon a wizard or witch," she spoke quietly, though hers voice was easily heard by the class. Ron inched up a hand and she nodded to him

"No offense, Professor, but wouldn't the killing curse be worse?" Ron asked in bewilderment. She smiled grimly.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" she countered. "Well, the thing about the Calamitatis Curse is that it would leave you completely harmless and defenseless to any dark magic. Then, your attacker could inflict any of the wide array of curses, hexes, and spells upon you to torture you to a degree of pain probably unimaginable to you in your young age."

All of the students were hanging on her every word, sitting silently on the edge of their seats. The tense silence about the room, however, was interrupted by the pointed sniggering of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Ron scowled to Harry, but he pointedly ignored the Slytherins.

Kat's face and voice had darkened in a strange way. Even the dog at her feet titled his big head to peer at her almost thoughtfully as she went on. "You could scream, but it wouldn't do you any good. You could cry for help, but would only be silenced by dark magic. All you could do is suffer through the agonizing pain until you were allowed a muggle's death." She stood up from where she had been sitting on the edge of her desk and straightened. "The Calamitatis Curse is one of the oldest known curses, which is why it is entirely in Latin. Could anyone please tell the class the English translation?"

Only one hand rose in the air: Hermione's. Kat nodded. All eyes went to Hermione, whose face seemed rather pale, contrasting with her dark hair. Though her lips were set in a firm line and her eyes remained confident, her voice wavered slightly when she spoke.

"It means 'death and destruction.' "

**"W**ell, wasn't that nice and cheery?" Ron spoke sarcastically, after the class had ended and they were putting their stuff away. "Almost makes me look forward to Potions."

Hermione sent him a sharp look. He frowned in offense

"What? I said 'almost.' "

Harry lingered behind. "I'll catch up with you in a little while."

Hermione arched a brow in question, and he nodded to the dog who waited patiently by Kat's desk. Both friends nodded knowingly and said their goodbyes. Once all the students had left and Harry had made for the front of the room, he turned at the final sound of the door closing. There stood Professor Celeste.

"Staying behind to have a little chat with Snuffles, are you?" she asked calmly.

He froze. "Um...erm..." What could he say? His mind had gone blank. Harry was unable to come up with a single excuse to throw at her. Luckily, however, a voice behind him saved him the trouble.

"I don't know why I ever came up with that name," Sirius Black chuckled.

Harry turned back in surprise to see his godfather back in human form. Sirius Black looked much healthier than the last time Harry had seen him. His dark, black hair had been trimmed to just above shoulder length, and he wore clean, decent clothes. A smile lit up his gaunt face, and his eyes shone brightly for a moment.

"But...Sirius...what about...?" And he nodded in the direction of Kat. Black just waved his worries away as Kat joined his side.

"Its all been taken care of, Harry. Kat here is an old friend. We attended Hogwarts together as students."

Kat smiled and nodded. "Its alright, Harry. I know he's innocent."

Harry relaxed, but didn't say anything. He had rather hoped to talk to his godfather alone. Kat seemed to pick up on this.

"Well, if either of you need me, I'll be in my office," she said, smiling to them both, before walking through the open door to the adjoining room.

Sirius offered a wry half-grin once they were alone. "So. Its been a while, eh, Harry?"

Harry grinned, then did something he'd never done before: he embraced his godfather. Sirius was surprised at first, but then he returned the hug with a softened expression. Harry broke away.

"Why didn't you send me any letters?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Sirius chuckled lightly. "Nice to see you again, too."

Harry sighed and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. Its just... I didn't hear from you. I didn't know what was going on, or whether or not you were alright..." he spoke quietly.. "You never did tell me what it was Dumbledore sent you to do..."

Sirius glanced at him sharply.

"It was about Voldemort, wasn't it?" Harry asked carefully.

"I was fine, Harry," he reassured him, ignoring that last question. "I've just been a bit...busy over the summer, that's all."

"Busy?" he asked with curious intentions, though he tried to make it sound quite casual. Sirius saw through it, however.

"Yes, Harry, and that's not going to work."

"What's not going to work?" There was an innocent look in his emerald eyes.

"I can't tell you what I've been doing," he sighed. "You know that. The Order of the Phoenix is very secretive business."

Harry frowned at this. "The Order of the Phoenix?"

Sirius froze for a moment. Then he frowned and shook his head, cursing under his breath at himself for letting that slip.

"Alright, but I'm not telling you anything else about it. You're going to get me into trouble for saying anything at all."

He sighed and nodded, recognizing that tone in his godfather's voice. Well, perhaps there were other things Sirius could tell him that weren't so secretive.

"Have you been staying with Lupin?"

"Yes,"Sirius spoke then in a lighter tone, a faint smile coming over his lips. "Its been just like old times...well, almost, anyway."

With a bitter pang, Harry understood why. In the old times, his dad, James Potter, had still been around. Lily Evans had been around too, as well as Peter Pettigrew. They had been the Marauders then, causing trouble and raising havoc at Hogwarts. There had been no thoughts of betrayal or death, and the atmosphere had been relatively happier. Wormtail hadn't framed Sirius yet, and he hadn't been confined to the animagus form of Snuffles, or Padfoot.

"Your name hasn't been cleared yet, then, has it?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius sighed, shaking his head once. Harry tried to cheer him up.

"At least you get to still be around Hogwarts...and me," he said more cheerfully. "Being a dog must have its advantages around here."

Sirius grinned rather wickedly and told his godson about the previous night's incident...well, only about the bit where he tore off a sizeable amount of Snape's robes. He left out the part about being tied up by Kat and the discussion with Dumbledore.

Harry frowned, however. "Though, I think that might have been a bit much."

Sirius only quirked an eyebrow. Harry couldn't help but grin softly.

"It was bloody brilliant, though."

"I was merely greeting an old friend," Sirius spoke quite casually, but a smile was playing upon his lips. "That dumb git was the one who forgot his manners."

Harry wondered if there would always be a grudge between those two. It didn't bother him in the least bit, though. Snape was anything but his favorite person at Hogwarts.

"But who wants to talk about him, anyway?" Sirius countered, changing the subject yet again. "How was your summer, Harry?"

Harry shuddered. There was something he planned on telling Sirius about, something that had happened over the summer, but he knew it was going to bother him all night if he didn't. Making up his mind, he opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Precisely at that moment, his scar started hurting more than it had ever hurt before. He remembered screaming out in pain, before his world was overcome by darkness.

Elsewhere in the castle, down below in the dark dungeons, Professor Severus Snape would also feel the same excruciating pain in his arm right before blacking out.

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	7. Shared Scars

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than the rest, I think. Enjoy and review, please.

To say that it was a dark, stormy night would have been the understatement of the year. The trees and brush in the forest could only be seen clearly whenever the lightning struck, illuminating the world briefly. The wind blew the trees about viciously, showing no mercy as it practically tore them apart. The thunder crashed, the sound growing nearer in the sky. Soon, the storm would be directly upon the area, and the rain would come pouring down in sheets. Oh, yes. Harry Potter knew that being in the forbidden forest in such conditions was not wise at all.

But that's exactly where he was.

He was racing down a narrow path, side-by-side with two people. He couldn't make out their faces in the dark, yet he knew exactly who they were. One, was an adult male wizard. The other, slightly shorter in stature figure, was a female witch. Somehow, though, in the confusion of the moment, he couldn't remember either of their names...however, this didn't really bother him much. Harry only had his mind set on one goal, and that was getting out of the forest and back to the safety within the walls of the Hogwarts castle.

But running through the pitch black of the forest was a difficult task. They were all growing tired. They had been running for what seemed like an eternity through the forest, stumbling and tripping in the dark. Harry's side was aching more than ever, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt coursing through the scar on his forehead. The wizard was gripping his arm painfully hard, willing him to go on, but he wasn't the one who was falling behind. The young woman had let go of his hand, and she started slowly down.

"We've got to keep going!" the wizard shouted over the roar of thunder. "We're almost there!"

She grabbed Harry's hand again, and she managed to keep up for a few seconds. They knew there was an urgency in the air. If they stopped, it might well be the end of all of them. Suddenly, the girl tripped on a large tree root, and fell to the ground with a yelp.

Harry stopped, turning to her. She was sprawled on her side, holding her ankle painfully. He raced back to her, and kneeled at her side, trying to pull her back up.

"We can't stop! You've got to get up!" he shouted over the storm, a pleading note in his frantic voice.

When the lightning flashed again, he could see tears falling down her face, and she whimpered, shaking her head.

"Just go, Harry! Save yourself!" she cried back, her voice breaking with emotion.

"No, I won't!"

The wizard came running to them, and he quickly solved the problem by bending down to take the wounded girl into his arms.

"We're leaving now!" he was shouting. "Hogwarts is just beyond those trees!"

Hope was sparked inside Harry. They were going to make it, he just knew it! Soon they would all be lounging inside the Great Hall, feasting on candy and drinking pumpkin juice. He could almost taste it now. But the dream was to be short-lived. Suddenly, they could see a tall figure in dark robes slowly stalking their way through the trees. It approached them menacingly, looming over them. Harry could not see the face within the hood, but he knew that the monster's appearance was hideous. The wizard saw him too, and quickly turned to let the girl down beside Harry, letting her lean on him.

"Get her out of here, now!" he snapped.

Harry shook his head, but there was no time to argue. The older wizard turned and, bringing out his wand, faced the robed figure. He raised his wand and opened his mouth to shout a curse at the demon, but it was already too late. The robed form already had his wand out.

"Avada Kedarva!"

The curse, however, had been aimed at the witch. She never saw it coming. With a flash of green light, she was dead, instantly.

Harry opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The other wizard never even had time to act. The murdering villain was already upon them, laughing insanely. Harry's scar was burning in agonizing pain as the wand slowly came to point at him and the wizard.

"Don't worry, " the all too familiar voice hissed, icily sarcastic, "Death is but the next great adventure...and you've got everything to lose."

Harry awoke with a jerk. Blinking, he looked around and instantly recognized his surroundings: the hospital wing. He groaned. How many times had he been in this place since his first year at Hogwarts? He knew he'd lost count long ago. Suddenly, a quiet, kind voice turned his head.

"I'd say its about time you woke up, Harry," Remus Lupin spoke, sitting in a chair at his side.

Harry's mouth fell open in surprise. "Prof- Lupin- Remus, I mean..." he faltered, not knowing what to call his ex- professor of Defense against the Dark Arts. "What-what are you doing here?"

Lupin chuckled quietly, standing. "Take it easy there, Harry. When you blacked out earlier this afternoon, Sirius sent me an owl. I was nearby, anyway. Speaking of the devil...look who's up, Sirius."

Sure enough, Sirius had walked up behind him and broke into a grin, though his face was still full of worry and concern for his godson.

"How are you feeling, Harry? You practically gave me a heart attack, you know."

"I'm sorry. I'm fine, I just.." He paused, then took a deep breath and plunged right on ahead, "I had another dream, like this one I had over the summer except... much more detailed." He hesitated, eyes distant. "It was like I was there. I could hear and see everything. It was... terrible."

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise, exchanging a look with Sirius.

"Perhaps you should tell us about it," Remus suggested quietly.

"Can I...have something to eat first?" Harry asked tentatively, not ready to reveal and relive the traumatizing dream just yet.

Sirius nodded. "You must be starved. Dinner was over hours ago. Dumbledore had the house elves fix you up some food, waiting in your dormitory, as are two very worried Gryffindors lacking their fearless leader. Poppy had to finally kick them out of the hospital wing."

Harry grinned just a bit. Hermione and Ron. Just the support they gave him made him feel better. He got out of the bed and stood, feeling rather steady on his feet now.

"I'll see what Dumbledore is doing," Remus spoke, as the three walked past the patient beds towards the exit...one patient, however, caught Harry's eye and he paused. Professor Severus Snape laid on the bed in his full robes, but his eyes were closed. Sitting beside him was Professor Kathrynne Celeste. She glanced up at the three in surprise and managed a smile.

"Wonderful to see you up, Harry," she spoke cheerfully, if a bit wearily."How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Harry replied shortly, then nodded to Snape. "What happened to Professor Snape?"

"He blacked out at almost the same time you did," Remus answered quietly.

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. Sirius was silently scowling. Remus noticed this and turned to Harry.

"He'll be fine. Ready, Harry?"

"I'll catch up with you in just a bit, Remus," Sirius spoke, joining Kat's side. Remus raised a brow curiously, but nodded, then walked out with the reluctant Harry.

Alone now, Sirius smirked lightly to Kat.

"You've been with this greasy git for a while now," he said dryly.

Kat snorted softly. "Is it such a crime to be worried about a colleague?"

"When that colleague is Snape, then yes, it is."

She rolled her eyes a bit, but changed the subject, turning her gaze back to Snape's sleeping form.

"What happened to them, Sirius? Its so strange, how they blacked out at the same time...I've never seen anything like it..."

Sirius sighed quietly, leaning slightly against her chair. "They've both got connections to Voldemort, you see. Harry's is the scar upon his forehead, and Snape's is the mark on his arm."

She frowned in confusion. "What mark?"

"The Dark Mark. Your 'friend' here was a death eater."

Kat's eyes widened in surprise and she froze, feeling more than anything her face go pale. Those two words struck rather deep with her. Sirius, though, just shrugged his shoulders carelessly, not noticing the sudden change in her.

"He still is one, if you ask me," he growled. "Explains why he is the way he is. I don't care what Dumbledore says."

Kat gazed at Snape emotionlessly, her mind whirling. Death eater...Severus Snape was a death eater... it meant something to her none of the others knew about...

"Kat? Kitty Kat?"

She jerked her head back to him. Sirius had just asked her something. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you'd like to take a moonlight stroll with me," he half- grinned cockily. "I know where the best places to stargaze are..."

She managed a polite smile, admitting to herself that his offer was tempting. There was so much catching up she and Sirius had to do...but not tonight. It would just have to wait.

"Mind if I take a raincheck?"

"Mind? Well of course I mind," he said, managing a laugh, though he did look disappointed, and it really made Kat feel guilty. "But right. Another time, then. Goodnight."

He gave her a sweeping, exaggerated bow, taking her hand in his and kissing it lightly. She couldn't help but blush as he offered one last charming grin and walked away.

"Foolish idiot," a cold, silky voice suddenly spoke.

Kat jerked her head back to Snape in surprise. While he still laid there, those dark, piercing eyes were now open, and that trademark sneer curled his thin lips. He looked anything but happy.

"How long were you awake?"

"Long enough," he frowned bitterly, sitting up and slowly swinging long, thin legs over the bedside. He fixed her with an even glare. "So now you know what I really am. Fine. That should give you enough reason to leave me alone."

With that he stood to his regular towering form, that air of superiority about him once again, but it did not intimidate Kathrynne. She wouldn't let him get away so easily. Calmly, she also rose to her feet and looked up at him.

"Its not, you know," she spoke quietly with a small smile. "If you want me to leave you alone, you're going to have to do better than that."

Snape narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "What do you want, woman? I'm in no mood for your games-"

"I want to know more about you," she interrupted him gently. "About your past."

Snape regarded her with irritation at first, thinking she might be mocking him, but her sincerity was real. He arched a dark brow.

"I can already assure you, Professor Celeste, that you will not like what you hear."

She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "It doesn't matter. I want to hear it."

Something about the gentle determination in her tone caused Snape to give in. Or perhaps the reason was because he was too weary and tired to argue with her. In the end, he nodded slightly.

"Not here. In my office."

"I assume you know what this is?"

They were in his office now, Snape at his desk and Kat sitting across from him. Her eyes traced over the ugly mark on his arm and she nodded wordlessly. Feeling a tightening in her stomach, she knew she would have recognized the mark had she been blind.

"So...you really were a death eater, then..." she spoke softly.

He lowered his sleeve, nodding slowly.

She looked back into his eyes. "...but not anymore."

"How can you be so sure?" he gaze back squarely. "How can you be so positive when you don't know me?"

"Its true, I have little evidence to think otherwise, but..." she arched a brow. "I just have this feeling, you know? I just...know..." She half- laughed weakly. "Not very good reasons, are they?" But then she glanced away, unable to meet his gaze. The situation was uncomfortable for them both.

Snape scowled lightly, also looking away to his hands, laced together over his desk as he silently prayed for an end to the whole humiliating confrontation. Saying you were once a death eater was not something one liked to announce to the whole bloody world. He could no longer bring himself to look at her, afraid of what he might see... He couldn't stand the look of disgust and hatred what usually came about when people finally found out the truth. Infuriating as the thought might be, he couldn't tolerate the thought of it on her face

"All I know is that I trust you, Severus," she finally spoke up a bit more firmly. She smirked lightly. " Yes, I know we've had our differences. Death eater or not, I still trust you...something just tells me that I can. We all make mistakes, you know... I know it sounds rather cliche, but we must learn from those mistakes...and move past them."

Snape was almost unable to cope with the unexpected acceptance. No one accepted such a shadowy past this quickly...what was going on here? He frowned at her oddly, regarding her thoughtfully.

"And how can you be so sure that when Voldemort calls me, I will not rejoin his followers?" he asked cooly.

"I don't believe you'd go back to him," she said quietly. "You do have friends here-Dumbledore, the professors-to help you, to protect you..." She paused, but swallowed hard and went on. " I can't predict what would happen, but...I would also be here by your side."

His brow rose in surprise. She shrugged her shoulders, not noticing his expression.

"Though I wouldn't be much help...really."

Snape cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure.

"I might not want to go back... But I might be asked...And who would I be to refuse Dumbledore and the ministry...?"

"Then you would go," she spoke simply.

He nodded, knowing she was right.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Did he...Voldemort, I mean...was that his way of calling you, by the mark, earlier today?"

Snape sighed, the sound a soft hiss through slightly uneven teeth, and nodded. "I refused. The pain...was excruciating, and then I went unconscious... it was a warning from him. Next time...as you said...I will go back to him." He frowned. "I feel like a traitor... On both sides," he sighed bitterly.

"...only on this side if you were to betray Dumbledore...again. But...you won't." How could Kat sound so sure of herself when she really...wasn't?

Snape paused, suddenly feeling quite miserable again. He gave a very small laugh at her words.

"Again," he repeated quietly, dark eyes still on his hands. "I'm sorry...for suddenly placing this on your shoulders. You are in no way required to carry such a burden and I do not expect you to want to be involved in this nasty business that is my life. Do you think I believe anyone is rather willing, eager even to be associated with it?"

Kat arched a brow, gaze suddenly turning a bit annoyed, though voice still soft. "Well, how would you know? Besides...if someone wants to be associated with it, that is their decision. Severus, you're not formidable enough to handle all this on your own...You might be powerful enough, but you sure are not capable enough, psychologically. No one would be." She frowned a bit. "Believe me, I would know."

His tone became slightly mocking. "And how is that? Have you been a death eater before, as well?"

"No," she replied quietly, "but my father has."

That certainly surprised him into silence, almost more than her little outburst right before had. She smirked dryly.

"Speechless, are you? That's a first."

"I am... sorry," Snape said quietly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"No need for you to be," she shrugged lightly, not letting her emotions betray her. Talking about her father used to make her tear up, but not now. She refused to cry in front of Snape. "He became a death eater of his own, power-hungry will."

Just as I did, Snape thought bitterly. "What was his name?"

"William Celeste. I doubt you'd know him."

The name sounded familiar, and Snape realized that he had heard of him.

"There was talk of him with the Death Eaters when I joined,"he spoke thoughtfully, trying to remember. "Some admired him, but many more thought him a coward because at Voldemort's orders, he killed his wife, and attempted to kill his daughter as well but was... unsuccessful," Snape frowned as realization dawned on him.

Kat merely nodded, gaze seeming to look past him.

"His wife would be my mother, Violet Celeste," she spoke in a voice that was much calmer than she felt. "She was trying to pull him away from the death eaters, you see. She was worried about him. We both were. Father was no longer the kind, loving man he used to be. He became like the rest of them: cold-hearted, ruthless, like demons without souls."

Snape cringed at her description, but did not interrupt.

"Your dark lord realized what she was trying to do so he ordered my father to kill her," she went, voice becoming more filled with emotion, though it frustrated her. "So he did...and I tried to kill him, but I was weak. I was no match for him. Aurors rescued me, but had to kill him... they were unable to contain him safely..." She trailed off to give a rather small, rather weak little laugh, but refused to tell him how she'd killed him. Snape didn't ask. "I realized, too late, that he had been under the Imperio curse...the whole time. I always knew my father would never have killed my mother or me of his own accord..." She went silent then, not staring at him, not staring at anything, really... but she did not cry. Too many tears had been shed in the past. None were really left.

As Snape watched her quietly, he was moved to strange feelings of pity and sympathy. It was all very new and alien to him, but he had the sudden urge to comfort her...protect her... promise her he'd never let anything bad happen to her ever again... but just as he was about to say something, do something, she suddenly moved her gaze back to his and arched a brow.

"You see then, I've been associated with this since I was a teenager," she smiled a bit, and though it was weak her voice was much stronger. "I think you and I...need each other...for support. Encouragement." Yes, she was choosing her words very carefully. "Hell, even just to insult each other sometimes. Whatever helps."

Snape nodded slowly, still eyeing her. The slight humor had been lost on him. "I would not drag you down into this mess again and I wouldn't place such a burden on your shoulders."

Something told him that it was the last thing she needed. He wasn't quite sure if she'd gotten closure over her parents' deaths yet. Kat's smile grew slightly bitter, but she suddenly surprised him by gently placing a hand over his sinewy-fingered one that was laced over the other on the desk.

"I'm taking the burden upon myself, whether you like it or not. You haven't got a choice in the matter."

Snape knew there was truth to her lightly teasing tone as he gazed, captivated by those hazel eyes, and took in the sensation of her skin against his...so soft and warm...she finally blushed ever-so-softly and removed her hand, standing.

"Well. I'm sure you need your rest after today's...events. Perhaps I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?"

"I'll...look forward to it." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm. Surprisingly to himself, as well, he was being very sincere.

She nodded before turning to walk to the door. Once there, however, she paused, and then looked back at him one last time.

"All three of us share the same curse, you know," Kat spoke quietly, almost thoughtfully. "Harry has the scar, you have the mark, and I...well, its rather more of the emotional type of wound for me." She gave one last, soft smile that was pleasant to see. "Everything will be alright. You'll see."

And with that, she was gone. Snape, meanwhile, settled comfortably back into his chair, a rare thing for the usually so stiff potions master. As he gazed thoughtfully at the door she'd just exited from, only one question played about his mind.

_What just happened here?_


	8. Dog and Diary

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and keep them coming! Unfortunately, while I do read suggestions and sometimes take them into account, like most authors, I pretty much have this story outlined out in my head. I'm afraid I probably can't please everyone, everything happening in my story is what I want to happen. The characters have been taking over, though. Its hard to control them. With that said, hope you like this chapter! Trust me, this story is getting somewhere. There is a plot!

* * *

**B**reakfast the next morning found the famous trio sitting at the Gryffindor table of the Great Hall early, even though it was the weekend and they could have easily slept in. Harry had found himself quite unable to sleep, Hermione had been up studying, anyway, and with a bit of nagging, was able to drag an unwilling Ron out of bed. All three had been rather on edge since Harry had blacked out the day before. The three sat, adorned in casual clothes, at the relatively empty table, meals set in front of them, but it was only Ron who was scarfing his food down, as usual.  
  
"Its just so strange," Harry said quietly, emerald eyes staring at the toast upon his plate. "It was like... Voldemort was reading my thoughts."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Ron asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.  
  
Harry looked up at him. "Right before my scar started hurting, I was thinking about that dream I told you about before the term started." ...right before I had the dream again, in blinding, vibrant detail. He swallowed a bit. "My scar... its never hurt so badly..."  
  
Ron frowned, looking worried for his friend.  
  
"And if he read your mind, then he must be nearby somewhere..." he added uneasily.  
  
Well, that didn't make things seem any better. Harry wasn't smiling. Ron wasn't smiling. Hermione finally looked up from the homework she'd been doing to see their grim expressions and sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Honestly, Harry! Ron! Don't worry about it! All Voldemort was probably trying to do is scare you," she reassured them both.  
  
"Its working, then," Harry said. Ron gulped.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes a bit, before softening her tone as she leaned closer to them. "Don't let him win, Harry. He can't get to you here at Hogwarts."  
  
Ron snorted a bit. "He got to Harry our first year."  
  
"Second year, too," Harry chimed in.  
  
"And our third year... well, I suppose that technically wasn't him, but Wormtail was one of his cronies..."  
  
"Don't forget the Tri-Wizard tournament..."  
  
"That's enough!" Hermione cut in, glaring. "Second year did not count because that really wasn't Voldemort but a memory of him as a teenager. Third year was just some stupid rat. Fourth year...well, that was different! You're safe here, Harry! There's no place safer than Hogwarts, especially with Dumbledore and the aurors here to protect us. Voldemort fears Dumbledore, remember? Now eat your breakfast and be happy!!"  
  
She finally went silent, grumbling under her breath as she returned to her homework. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, and the latter shook his head slowly, mouthing but one thing to his friend in explanation:  
  
"PMS."  
  
Kathrynne also walked into the Great Hall early that morning, feeling refreshed after the good night's rest she'd had. Golden red hair had been pulled back into a neat bun atop her head, and hazel eyes shone brightly. It looked to be a very good day for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Not only had she had that fulfilling talk with Snape last night, but this morning she'd received a well-awaited owl letter from her younger sister, Alanna. It had contained great news that she intended on sharing with the first person she talked to, who looked to be Severus Snape, already sitting at his usual spot at the staff table. Catching his eye, she sent him a brilliant smile.  
  
Snape caught that smile, and one of his own almost crossed over his lips. Remembering where he was at, however, and how strange it would look if he smiled sincerely to another human being, he stopped himself just in time. Instead, he gave her a grave nod, but that intense, piercing gaze of his sparkled in kind to her greeting. It surprised him that he was actually looking forward to talking to her, and...  
  
...and it didn't matter. At that moment, a large, black form on all fours padded up to her feet, barking and jumping about her excitedly. Sirius Black. Snape narrowed his eyes in a glare. Damn that man.  
  
Kat smirked softly in surprise, but shook her head to the dog. "No, Sir- Snuffles. I can't play now." She silently scolded herself for almost calling him by his real name.  
  
The dog, however, was relentless. He jumped up on her, dashed out in front of her path, forcing her to stop, and even grabbed her robes lightly in his teeth and tugged, receiving a whap on the nose. Snuffles whimpered in defeat, sitting back on his haunches as she continued walking. Then, however, a plan formed in his mind. Spotting the rolled up piece of parchment paper swinging in her right hand, he grinned a doggy grin, jumped up, grabbed it gently in his teeth, then took off running in the opposite direction.  
  
Kat gasped, spinning around. "Snuffles, no! Come back here! Bad dog!"  
  
The dog, however, ignored her.  
  
Frowning in annoyance, she quickly took off after the dog. He did now hold in possession her sister's letter, after all. There was no way she was about to let the loony animagus run off with it and claim it a new chew toy.  
  
The playful chase of dog and professor did not go unnoticed by the trio of Gryffindors, also. Harry couldn't help but chuckle quietly, shaking his head as he leaned his back against the table. The smile was a start for him, anyway. His godfather almost never failed to amuse him, even when he wasn't trying to. Ron also smirked, arching an eyebrow, whilst Hermione, being the hopeless romantic she really was, grinned and clasped her hands before her.  
  
"Aw! That is completely adorable," she cooed.  
  
Ron shot her a look, smile fading. "What are you talking about, adorable?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" she looked to her friend with a wistful sigh. "Sirius likes her."  
  
Ron made a face, turning back to the meal he'd stopped eating for a full thirty seconds. "Women. Is that all you ever think about?"  
  
"I'd ask if 'food' was all you ever thought about, but there would be no need to," she said dryly, arching a brow as he unknowingly stuffed his face with more food. Shaking her head, she turned to Harry. "We should do something for them, like, set them up or something. Or maybe have the house elves cook them a nice, candlelight dinner for two. What do you think, Harry?" She paused as he didn't answer. "Harry?"  
  
Harry was gazing thoughtfully at the potions master who was currently glaring murderously at the door which Snuffles and Kat had just exited from. Sure, he knew how Snape and Sirius felt about each other. They hated each other with a fiery passion, and had done so since they were schoolmates at Hogwarts a long time ago. However, there was something different about the look in his eyes now... the fifth year student could almost have sworn there was a hint of jealousy in it...  
  
It finally took a nudge from Hermione to bring Harry back to earth. He turned to her with a dumb look upon his face.  
  
"Harry," she gently prodded, looking a bit worried now, "did you hear a word I said?"  
  
Harry looked at her blankly."Um..."  
  
She sighed in exasperation. " Dinner for two. Your godfather and Professor Celeste."  
  
"Oh. Right." Pause. "What about it?"  
  
"Do you think it could work?"  
  
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes, yes I suppose it could."  
  
However, he didn't sound quite sure of himself.  
  
Snuffles, meanwhile, took poor Kathrynne all the way outside onto the grounds of Hogwarts. He lead her on a chase through the Quidditch pitch, around the Whomping Willow, by the shore of the lake, and finally to a clearing right outside the Forbidden Forest. Many times, he'd almost let her catch him, but jumped away at the last moment. Now, panting to catch her breath, she caught up with him, snatching away the letter after he'd dropped it on the ground. She made a disgusted face, eyeing it.  
  
"Thank you very much, Sirius," she frowned, shaking the paper. "You've drenched my sister's letter with saliva. Lovely."  
  
The dog lowered his head in shame, before a pop suddenly sounded. Instantly, in place of the dog was the tall form of Sirius Black, cringing and looking guilty.  
  
"Sorry about that, Kitty Kat," he frowned, taking the letter and wiping it off a bit on his dusty, black pants. "Suppose I got carried away."  
  
"To put it lightly," she snorted, before realizing... Sirius was no longer a dog and still on school grounds. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Sirius! Someone will see you!"  
  
He waved her worries away, whisking out his wand to use a drying spell on the owl letter. "Don't worry. The kids never come out here. They're not allowed to. Should some rebellious kid happen to wonder out here, we'll just pretend I'm a close friend visiting from out of town."  
  
Kat smiled faintly, taking back her letter after it had been dried and arching a brow sarcastically.  
  
"A close friend?"  
  
"But of course, " he nodded, joining her side and slipping an arm around her shoulders. "I was thinking fiance. That's the kind of story I could gladly stick to." He reached up his free hand to run his fingers through his hair, before giving her a charming look, reminding her of the headstrong ladies man he'd been as a kid.  
  
She laughed in amusement, shaking her head and patting his chest.  
  
"Crazy, insane man," she grinned, breaking away. "I'd love to stay and pretend to be that girl, but I'm afraid my breakfast is calling my name back in the Great Hall."  
  
"Not a problem," Sirius shrugged, taking out his wand, saying a spell and flicking it... before suddenly producing a tray of all the delicious breakfast foods a girl could ask for: bacon, french toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, milk and orange juice..Kat raised her brows in surprise.  
  
"Be still my heart!" She then put a hand to her heart and gave him a wry half-grin. "Oh, wait. It is. Goodbye, Sirius."  
  
Sirius sighed rather loudly and dramatically as she turned. "Fine, then! I'll just go and eat my breakfast... all alone.. in the Forbidden Forest..." Turning to walk in the opposite direction toward the forest, shoulders slumped, he sulked off, dragging his feet and hanging his head low. Kat turned back around, arching a brow at his performance.  
  
"Oh, you're pitiful Sirius, you know that, don't you?"  
  
Sirius raised his head ever-so-slightly. "Pitifully... cute, you mean?"  
  
"Pitifully annoying." Kat sighed, but slowly smiled wryly. "Alright. Fine. Take me wherever you were going to take me."  
  
He grinned, straightening, and returning to her side, offering the arm that wasn't attached to the hand holding the tray of goodies. "You won't regret it, Kat."  
  
"Famous last words," she sighed, as she took his arm and he led her right into the forest. It made her a bit uneasy. She knew about the creatures that stalked the place. And where Sirius was taking her didn't make her feel any better.  
  
"The answer is no, Sirius."  
  
"Oh, c'mon, Kitty Kat... its just a harmless tree."  
  
She frowned, glancing up the tall, intimidating thing he deemed harmless. "Yes... until you fall out of it and break your neck."  
  
But in the end, with a bit of help from Sirius via cooing and soothing her fears, Kat found herself not only in the tree, but sitting surprisingly comfortably on one of the tallest branches. Sirius sat on the branch right beside her as she looked about her in awe. From the treetops, they had a beautiful view of the horizon, the lake, and Hogwarts itself. The animagus held the tray out of delicious-smelling breakfast foods to Kat and grinned charmingly.  
  
The DADA professor would soon discover Sirius had been right. She didn't regret it at all.  
  
The nightmares never seemed to let him be. It was the visions of hellish images that found one weary potions master aimlessly walking the halls of Hogwarts. Luckily for him and anyone else he might have run into, the halls were empty. Students and teachers in their right minds would be deep in peaceful slumber in their warm beds. Severs Snape only wished it could be so easy for him.  
  
The day had not gone by pleasantly. He'd not seen Kathrynne at all since that morning, and had been soon called by the irritating Madame Pomfrey to concoct some potions she needed for medicinal purposes. Doing favors for the moody woman was not his idea of the perfect day spent with no classes to teach. Of course, conjuring the potions kept him content enough. It was his life's work, after all. Now, however, things were different.  
  
He'd pulled his dark, flowing robes over his long night shirt, folding those long, thin arms over his chest as he walked. Narrowed eyes stared straight ahead but saw nothing, lips set in a thin, grim line. Snape needed something to get his mind off the terrible scenes playing over and over in his head: People screaming. Babies crying. Dark, robed men shrouded in hoods killing them all with such sadistic pleasure...  
  
Strange that his footfalls would lead him to the door of the DADA professor's office. Strange to him, anyway. A light flickered under the crack of the door. He arched a brow curiously. Still awake, then? His mind told him to keep walking on by, to return to his quarters and attempt to get some well-needed sleep...  
  
So he knocked on her door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Snape walked inside to see Kat sitting behind her desk, ungraded exams spread out in disorganization before her. The firelight played about her red hair, casting a golden shimmer upon it. It was as if she had an aura about her, bathing her in an unearthly glow. When the hazel eyes danced up to meet his, however, he could see the weariness and exhaustion in them.  
  
"Severus," she spoke with a touch of surprise.  
  
He gave a slight nod of his head, eyes flicking away from hers to the stack of papers before her. "You're busy. I'll take my leave."  
  
"I'm nearly finished," she quickly chimed up, which stopped him from going. She offered him a small smile, gesturing to the seat across from her desk, usually reserved for students. "Please. Make yourself at home."  
  
Severus regarded the chair thoughtfully, pondered her offer, then stepped over. He did not, however, take a seat in the chair. Instead, he glided silently to her small collection of shelved books behind her and began browsing through them.  
  
"Grading exams late tonight, aren't we, Professor?" he asked quietly, voice casual.  
  
She arched a brow, glancing up at him dryly as he took it upon himself to look through her things without asking. Such manners.  
  
"Yes, well... I had many papers to grade before tomorrow," she lied. He knew it.  
  
"Curious," he said thoughtfully, back turned to her as he took out a book about the dark arts, noting it was one he'd read in his youth... then pausing as he spotted one that had been hidden behind it. A sinewy-fingered hand snaked it out furtively, before he glanced over his shoulder at her and continued talking. "Curious that you should grade them now, when I know for a fact you have no morning classes tomorrow." He opened the slender book and flipped through it, voice absently sarcastic as he spoke, "I would have thought 'beauty sleep' was a necessity for you."  
  
That deserved a glare from her... but it quickly melted away as she sighed softly, "I couldn't sleep."  
  
Snape paused in the reading of his 'book' at her words. "You too," he said quietly, but it wasn't a question. Not hearing her reply to that, he reread the few lines she'd interrupted from the book.  
  
I hate these walls. This castle is like a prison, worse, I believe, than Azkaban could ever be. I feel like the walls are closing in on me, smothering me with the horrible memories of a past I've tried to forget but been eternally cursed to always remember. Memories of a content childhood, destroyed by that same curse that plagues me now. Destroyed by a father I once loved so much.  
  
"Severus, what are you...?" she started to ask, realizing he'd been strangely unresponsive, and unaware he was reading. Standing to peer around him, Kat suddenly gasped in surprise and instantly snatched the book out of his hands. "How...how dare you read my personal journal as if...as if... you were some uncouth, barbaric...man!" Her face had reddened a bit. She was flustered and had the urge to tag on, 'and your hair is stupid!' to the line of insults, but held her tongue. There were things written in there that she didn't want anyone- especially him- to read. "You should be ashamed of yourself for-"  
  
"You suffer as well," he interrupted softly, but that silky timbre within it silenced her, "because of what the Death Eaters did to your family, just as they did it to my life."  
  
Indeed, her cheeks were tinged pink as she cast her glaring eyes downward.  
  
"I'm bloody perfect, thank you," she growled, but as she turned away from him quickly, he saw something he'd thought he'd noticed earlier out of the corner of his eye: Kathrynne grimaced deeply, clearly in some sort of pain at the quick movements.  
  
"No, you're not," he frowned, studying her with narrowed, piercing eyes. Her stubbornness and refusal to tell him the truth was suddenly grating on what was left of his nerves and patience, two things he usually lacked in the first place. "I don't enjoy being lied to, Kathrynne."  
  
Him saying her name struck a chord inside her, but didn't stop her from biting out bitterly, "Well, I imagine there's precious little you enjoy in this world, Severus."  
  
Snape's lip twisted in a nasty sneer as he reached out and grabbed her right shoulder suddenly. His grip was not painfully tight, but Kat stilled yelped out in pain all the same. At that, he instantly let go of her wounded shoulder, arching a dark brow.  
  
"Right. You're fine," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Its nothing," she grumbled, rubbing her shoulder as she turned away. She took out her wand and cast a locking spell on her diary with satisfaction before explaining. "I took my classes outside for an obstacle course of sorts today... and part of it involved climbing a tree which I very nearly fell out of." Well... the last part hadn't been a lie, anyway.  
  
Snape frowned accusingly. "The Whomping Willow?"  
  
"No!" she retorted quickly, spinning around to face him. "No. Give me a little more credit than that, Severus. I'm not completely in adept."  
  
Snape was about to cut her some slack... but another thought crossed his mind, causing the frown to slowly slip into a sneer and his tone of voice to became dangerously low. "Kathrynne. None of the students have classes today."  
  
A look of guilty fear flickered over her face, much like a deer-in-the- headlights look. She quickly recovered.  
  
"Extracurricular field trip."  
  
That wasn't going to work for Snape.  
  
"Or perhaps an injury from your social outing with that miserable Black?" He spit the name out as if it were poison upon his tongue.  
  
Kat sighed, throwing her hands up in the air with a sudden outburst. "I try to have a reasonable, decent conversation with you and what do you do? You go through my personal belongings as if you owned the place, then you pry into my private life as if it were open for all the world to see..." Eyes blazing with fury, she turned away, flinching yet again as pain seared through her sore muscles, while hoping he hadn't seen it, "and next you accuse me of spending time with a harmless man you depict as being some sort of dangerous criminal!" She snorted. "Honestly, its impossible to speak to you without you going on and doing something so infuriating like-"  
  
But she stopped abruptly as he grabbed her shoulder again, but in a much different way. Long fingers curved along over her shoulder top lightly, thumb almost unknowingly brushing her neck.  
  
"..so infuriating like that," she finished her sentence, but the anger was draining from her surprised voice.  
  
"Is this where... it hurts?" he asked, faint voice faltering slightly.  
  
Those fingertips lightly traced the back of her shoulders through her shirt and her neck, his hand trembling slightly. Kat swallowed hard at the touch, nodding uneasily.  
  
"Yes...yes, that would be it," she spoke softly, though her words almost failed her.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he tentatively added the other hand, then gently and rather hesitantly, Professor Severus Snape began to massage her tense shoulders. Kat closed her eyes, a soft, contented sigh escaping her lips as she felt the tension relax underneath that surprisingly expert-like touch. The argument of only a few moments ago was suddenly quite forgotten by them both.  
  
"You have, ah...very good hands," she murmured.  
  
Snape didn't reply. He really couldn't believe what was happening. Honestly, he'd hardly ever not dreamed of being in the position he was in now...Those of the female gender had never been very fond of him. He'd hardly ever been within a couple feet of a woman...and yet, here he was now, in the middle of her classroom no less, massaging this woman, this intriguing creature that he hardly knew. What sort of spell had she cast upon him? Whatever it was, he couldn't bring himself to even think that the situation was anything near...unpleasant... Had they really only been fighting short moments before?  
  
The way their arguements had been ending lately, neither of one of them seemed to have any problem with having them in the first place.  
  
Meanwhile, a faint smile began playing upon Kat's lips. Sure, she knew she should have every right to still be angry at this man, or at least awkward after their last encounter, but....she strangely felt very relaxed and completely at ease. She even went a little limp as he worked his fingers.  
  
"Its as if you've done this before, Severus," she dared to be witty.  
  
Snape merely cleared his throat, again neglecting to answer.  
  
Taking another breath, Snape allowed himself to take a step closer, no longer standing at arm's length, but at half-arms length. His fingers became a little more rough, harder, and he finally spoke up quietly.  
  
"Let me know if I am hurting you..."  
  
She nodded, reaching up to push her shimmering hair out of his fingers' way. "Of course..."  
  
He leaned forward a bit, catching the gentle fragrance of her hair as she moved it aside. Closing his eyes for a moment, he allowed himself to memorize that overwhelming perfume as he continued to kneed her neck and shoulders more steadily.  
  
Soon, Kat was completely relaxed, her body like putty in his hands. Picking up on this, his own hands also growing a bit tired, he finally, though a bit hesitantly, stopped the massage. Kat opened her hazel eyes in soft surprise, then very slowly turned to face him. It was a bit funny....she hadn't been aware he was standing this close to her, only a breath away, really...  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, searching his dark eyes... and managing a teasing smile. "You understand I'm still mad at you, though."  
  
He didn't reply. Instead, a strange thing happened: courage seared through him. He reached up a pale hand to very gently caress her cheek; the touch so light that it seemed he was afraid he was going to break her were he any rougher. Kat slowly brought up a hand to touch those long, graceful fingers. Her throat was suddenly a bit dry, and she felt strangely drained from the heavenly massage.  
  
"Severus, I..." but even words failed her.  
  
He lightly hushed her, shaking his head once. "Don't say anything..."  
  
Then, the unthinkable happened: Severus Snape, feared professor by students and a few fellow teachers alike... leaned down and kissed the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
  
Though surprised at first, Kat's brain quickly caught up with her and she closed her eyes, savoring the shivers that ran down her spine with that touch. It was natural for her to kiss him back, then, lacing her arms around his neck. He helped in wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer into the folds of his dark robes, bodies pressed together. The kiss was nothing like the one they'd shared only nights before in that same office. This embrace went from sweetly tender, to intense and fiercely passionate... and left both wanting and needing more from the other.

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A/N: Was that enough romance for ya, iron-eyes, dear? 


	9. Remembering

A/N: I checked out the lyrics for "I was Hoping," and agree that it could fit the couple. The song I had in mind is Celine Dion's "I Hate you then I Love You." I doubt I'll be making any of these chapters into song fics, so check those lyrics out sometime and tell me what you think. Meanwhile, thanks to my reviewers for the continued reviews! Updates may come a bit slower now as I'm having to write them out now. Be patient.

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**O**utwardly, the room was as ordinary as any other: four walls, red carpeting, glass coffee table and a tall-backed chair set before a cozy fireplace. Yet, it was about as uncomfortable as a prison or a jail. The air held a tense, eerie sense about it, and the flames danced in a dangerous, hypnotizing way. Pacing behind the chair, his short, wiry figure nervous and trembling, was the silhouette of a balding man, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Its hopeless, Master," he whined, eyes flickering to the chair uneasily. "Hogwarts is impenetrable! The security is much tighter this year..."

"Yes, Wormtail," a high-pitched, icy voice hissed rather calmly. "They expect us."

"The aurors, sir," Wormtail wailed. "The Ministry's very best are there, guarding...waiting...for us..."

"The aurors do not concern me," the other sighed patiently, finally turning to face him. Those slitted, red eyes flowed brightly, and a cruel smile crept up over those slight lips, barely visible on the stretched, pale skin. Wormtail cowered before his towering form.

"But... even your most loyal Death Eaters are outnumbered by them, oh... Glorious One," he stammered on. "Certainly we can not hope to win the day..."

The monster, however, only smiled even more, a terrible, sickening sight to see.

"You worry too much, Wormtail," he went on, cruel voice almost soothing. "The aurors are not a threat to me. I have something... far worse in store for them..."

**H**arry Potter awoke from the dream - no, nightmare - with a great jerk, eyes popping open. His scar was burning with pain. Breathing heavily, he glanced about, as if making sure he was indeed in his natural surroundings. In the other nearby bed, Ron Weasley was sleeping peacefully, though not soundly. He was snoring rather loudly. Besides that, all was quiet. No Voldemort, no Wormtail, nothing and no one that shouldn't be there.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he absently ran a hand through his untidy, jet black hair, noting with wonder that his scar was not hurting. Trying to dismiss the dream as nothing but that, a dream, he laid back down... but sleep would not come. He had to do something, or talk to someone. Not having the heart to wake up Ron, he pulled on his robes over his night clothes, then stepped silently out of the dorm, down into the common room, and through the portrait hole into the empty hallways.

The dream still echoing about inside his head, he almost walked to the room 'Snuffles' slept in... but decided against it. His godfather would probably only become worried, overprotective, or do something hasty... the same could be said for Remus, Dumbledore, and McGonagall... perhaps Hagrid? No. Harry didn't feel like walking outside onto to the dark, shadowy grounds to his hut. In the end, strangely enough, he found himself standing before the door of Professor Kathrynne Celeste's office. Stranger yet... a light was on inside the room... and the door was open.

Shrugging his shoulders lightly, figuring it couldn't hurt anything, he stepped into the doorway, opened his mouth to speak... then froze, emerald eyes widening.

Harry was surprised to see she had a visitor, shocked to see that it was Snape, and definitely scarred for life to see that they were kissing.

For a moment he just stood there, watching in a sort of horrified awe... when suddenly, the unthinkable happened.

He sneezed.

The sneeze jarred the couple out of the embrace instantly. Snape jerked his head to the doorway... and glared venomously at its soul occupant. Harry stood there, hands over his mouth, looking quite unable to believe his body had chosen the worst possible moment to do such a thing to him. Kat just sighed softly, absently running a hand through her reddish locks, as the Gryffindor boy made a noncommital, apologetic mutter and turned to leave.

Snape, however, would not let him.

His wand appeared instantly in his bony hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he bellowed, "Obliviate!"

... and Harry froze dumbly, his face a blank, clean slate.

Snape swept across the floor to the boy, towering over him in all his intimidating glory.

"How... dare you be out past curfew," he hissed in a dangerously low voice. "60 points will be deducted from Gryffindor for this... this... outrage!"

Harry blinked as if coming to from a dream. "But, Professor, I just wanted to-"

"Silence!" he all but screamed, face twisting in his fury. "Back to your dormitory! Now!"

Stepping back in surprise at the sudden shout, Harry shot him a glare of his own, weaker, however, compared to that of the enraged potions master, before turning and hurrying out. Snape sighed wearily, face falling as he brought up a hand to pinch the bridge of his overlarge nose in a headache.

"Damn that boy," he muttered.

Kat, meanwhile, looked anything but pleased with his performance.

"Damn that boy? Damn _you_!" she snapped, hands on her hips stubbornly. "I can't believe you just did that! Is that how you treat all of your beloved students, or was that show put on just for my benefit?"

Snape groaned in annoyance. This was not now going where he'd hoped it would have gone earlier... before Potter's appearance.

"Kathrynne... had I not erased that memory of Potter seeing us, then he would have rushed off to his pitiful, merry band, spreading rumors that could easily ruin everything for us, ruin reputations that have been years in the making and-"

"Ruin your reputation, you mean," she interrupted, an eyebrow arched dryly. "You'd be ashamed of me, and you'd soon get tired of me messing up the perfect style of your orderly life."

He tried to remain calm, squeezing his hands into fists at his sides, but he was quickly losing his patience with her.

"Bloody hell, woman! You're jumping to conclusions. That's not it at all. It you would only be silent for once in your life long enough for me to-"

"Get out," she snarled quietly.

Snape's brow rose in surprise, and he looked as if to say more, but the glint in her eyes silenced him. There was a brief moment of glaring at each other, before his lip twisted into a cold, nasty sneer. He quickly decided this was not worth his precious time.

"With pleasure."

And as Snape stormed to his quarters, he blamed it all on that stupid boy.

**K**athrynne wouldn't be found at breakfast the next morning. Sure, it was Sunday and there would be no classes that day, but Sirius Black had heard from a trustworthy source that she always showed up at breakfast the same time every morning. Actually, he'd had a friend find out for him, since he couldn't really talk to other professors around the students while he was in dog form. And so, he could be found padding down the hallway towards her office, the first place he hoped to find her.

Naturally, he'd taken one Remus Lupin with him.

The former DADA professor had agreed to stay around Hogwarts as long as needed, offering his knowledge and help to the group he was a part of: the Order of the Phoenix. Being quite unable to communicate through English while a dog, Snuffles had bitten and pulled at the man's robes until after much whimpering and pleading, he'd managed to get Remus to follow him.

"Really, Snuffles, I'm in no mood for any games this morning," he yawned as they walked. "You know what...day is coming up soon, and I have to get as much rest until then so I can..." He trailed off when they approached the door to Kat's office. He arched a brow curiously down at the dog. "Is there a particular reason why you wanted me to talk to Professor Celeste?" Snuffles growled a bit, furtively looked down one end of the hallway, then the other before deciding they were indeed alone. Then, he instantly turned into his regular, human form.

"I had to have you come with me so I wouldn't look suspicious, knocking on her door," he said in a low voice. "And call her Kathrynne, Moony. Kat even. We practically grew up with the kid, remember?"

"Yes, but it occurred during a time in my life I'd sometimes rather forget," Remus said softly. Sirius sighed lightly, but making no comment, knocked on her door, then turned back into Snuffles.

No answer. Remus arched a brow in question to the dog, who, in turn, led him down the hallway towards her quarters.

In the end, the two would find her sprawled out comfortably in a couch in the staff room, head on her arms laid out about the arm of the chair, fast asleep.

"Lets not bother her," Remus suggested, but only too late. Sirius had bounded over to her and jumped beside her onto the opposite side of the couch she was not sprawled out upon, causing the cushions to bounce a bit. The sudden movement caused her to stir, blink her eyes open... and smile wearily to Snuffles.

"Oh, hello Snuffles... Remus," she yawned, stretching a bit as she attempted to sit up straighter.

"Good morning, Kathrynne," Remus smiled gently, sitting in a chair opposite the couch. "Long night?"

She hesitated, and a snort came from the man now sitting beside her on the couch. Sirius regarded her with a teasing grin, dark eyes twinkling with mischief. "I keep telling ya, Kat... if you're going to stay up all night partying and getting drunk, invite me."

Kat half-smiled very faintly, but there was little humor in it. "I had trouble sleeping last night. I came here to attempt to get some papers graded..." She made a small, half-hearted gesture at the few papers spread out on a small table.

Remus arched an eyebrow. It looked as if very few were graded.

"Hey. Its Sunday. No one works on Sunday," Sirius snorted again. Remus half-smiled wryly, exchanging a glance with Kat.

"Then do enlighten us, dear Padfoot," he spoke. "What exactly do people do on Sundays?"

"Well, my dear Moony, in the old days, young people would most likely raise havoc and cause trouble about the school, but since we are no longer of that age..." he casually flicked his wand at the table, "we'll have to settle for eating."

Another extravagant breakfast had appeared on a tray on the table, Kat's ungraded essays having been carefully swept to the floor with that same motion of magic. Kat laughed softly, leaning forward to pick up a cream-filled pastry.

"Sirius, what would I do without you?"

"Go insane with missing me?"

"Go insane with missing the heavenly food, actually," she smirked, biting into the pastry and closing her eyes in content. It was delicious.

Sirius shrugged. "Ah, well. If its only food I'm competing with for the lady's affections... I think I can manage well enough."

Remus, meanwhile, had gone quiet. He seemed to be staring at a piece of french toast on the tray. Sirius arched a brow inquisitively at his friend.

"Mind if I ask what's wrong, or would I be interrupting something intimate between you and the toast?" he inquired dryly.

Remus looked up at him slowly, as if in a daze. "What? Oh. Its nothing. I was just... thinking of what you said, about the old days." He smiled thinly. "The last time the three of us were together over breakfast, James, Lily, and Peter were with us, in the Great Hall..." His grey eyes twinkled, "food fighting."

Sirius looked over at Kat and they exchanged a grin. They remembered.

**H**arry had not eaten much at breakfast. He'd hardly touched his food at all, only listened absently to Hermione talk to Ron about the upcoming O.W.L.s and how she was starting a study group that night. He seemed on the brink of relunctantly agreeing to go. In an argument that suddenly flared up between the two, however, they hardly noticed the third trio member excuse himself quietly and get up from the table to walk out of the Great Hall. He'd not told them about the dream, and keeping it bottled up inside was eating.

Some of the professors were not at breakfast, which wasn't all that odd, except that one was always there at the same time, every morning. Not feeling up to searching the entire castle for one professor, he soon found himself approaching the door to the staff room. Inside, he could hear quiet, familiar voices conversing; friendly voices. Raising his hand, he hesitated, before knocking on the door. The voices instantly ceased.

"Who is it?" Professor Celeste called.

"Harry."

There was a pause, then the door was opened by Remus Lupin. He smiled, though there was a certain sadness in it.

"Come in, Harry."

He walked inside to see Sirius sitting on the couch, arm draped around Kat's shoulders. She was leaning against him, and looked as if she'd been crying. His godfather, also looked rather grim. Harry frowned.

"We were talking about your parents," Sirius explained.

"Oh," was all Harry said.

Kathrynne didn't say anything, only smiled very faintly, eyes averted.

"Was there something you wanted, Harry?" Remus asked gently.

"Oh. Yes, I..." he trailed off, glancing about the three of their faces... and changed his mind. "I was wondering if you'd tell me about my parents."

Remus and Sirius looked surprised. Kat, meanwhile, smiled knowingly.

"What would you like to know, Harry?" she asked.

"How did they fall inlove?" The question came to his mind instantly.

Sirius grinned. "Oh, that's easy. Jamesy fell in love with Red the first day he saw her on the train." He arched a brow. "It was rather sickening at the time."

"They fell truly in love over time," Remus corrected him gently. "They teased and argued with each other constantly. Lily couldn't really stand him, not that I blamed her, until their later years at Hogwarts when their feelings became more serious."

"I remember Lily telling me about their first kiss," Kat also chimed in wistfully. "She made the first move, really. She gave him a symbol of her love: an Irish Claddagh ring from her great grandparents. The ring looked like two hands presenting a heart with a crown over it. The hands represent friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love..." She smiled softly.

There was a moment of silence as they soaked this in. It was Sirius who broke the moment with a burst of rather loud laughter. All looked at him in surprise.

"Sorry, I was just remembering," he grinned proudly, "that it was my divine intervention that got them together in the first place, you know." He frowned when Remus snickered in amusement. "No joke! I had a long talk with Lily in which I encouraged and convinced her into talking to James. Afterward she did, Prongs sought me out, and to get back at me for 'prying' into his precious 'love life,' he told me he'd declined her when she asked him if he loved her. Quite the 'character' he was, going on and on about how he was now all alone in the cruel world, and sobbing all the while." He arched a brow. "Then he went and said it was all very confusing since he and Snape planned on eloping right out of Hogwarts."

Harry made a disgusted face. Remus chuckled quietly, and Kat just shook her head.

"What?" Sirius laughed, looking about the three. "He was joking! You all know how much they hated each other."

"Anyway," Remus said rather loudly, shooting Sirius a look before going back to Harry, "after that, they were inseparable."

"Perfect for each other," Kat agreed.

"Meant to be," Sirius grinned, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze.

Harry smiled, emerald eyes dancing. "Tell me more."

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A/N: Keep those reviews coming! 


	10. Tequila and Death Eaters

A/N: Didn't think I was ever going to update this thing, did you? Well, the ideas for this chapter had been lying around on the backburner for a while, during which this thing called 'life' got in the way. That, and I've been busy working on a new Spiderman fic. But I finally decided to throw this thing together. Will I finally give dear Severus a break? You'll have to read and see for yourself! Hope ya'll - Texan talk - enjoy it, and thanks for your continued reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I only own Kathrynne. J.K. Rowling is a genius. I wish I owned her.

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**"G**ood evening, Professor," Kathrynne Celeste's voice purred from the doorway, her tone intentionally sultry and deep. It was there that she was splayed out rather seductively against the doorframe, eyes lowered to him suggestively beneath long lashes. She wore her school robes rather tightly around her body, golden red hair hanging free and lovely upon her shoulders.  
  
Severus Snape, however, did not even look up.  
  
"I'm busy, Kathrynne."  
  
"Oh, you're always busy, my dear," she pouted, lips placed just so, and a slur evident on her words now. Unfazed by his indifference, she walked right in, swaying her hips just so in a playful manner, her hands placed upon them.... and still he did not look up. So, Kat leaned right over his desk, deliberately getting in his way as she attempted to read whatever he was reading or grading - even though her own vision was swimming and swirling. Finally, when her hair cascaded down and fell off her shoulders to brush the essay and obstruct his view, he looked up. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he glared up at her. Clearly, he was still rather upset from their earlier argument after having been so rudely interrupted by Harry Potter. Kathrynne, at the moment, seemed quite indifferent.  
  
"Kathrynne-" he started, the words a dangerous hiss through slightly uneven teeth.  
  
But she cut him off. "Oh, don't tell me you're giving fine young George Weasley that terrible grade!"She whisked the paper he'd just graded out from beneath his quill before he even had time to think. Funny how she could do that, in as unstable a condition as she was currently in. She brought the paper up rather close to her eyes, having to blink and squint a moment as if attempting to decipher some foreign language. "Oh! Not George - Ginny Weasley, of course. Well, dear me - even worse! That precocious child is a genius! A prodigy! A girl wonder! A cute little witch with wonderful taste in red, red hair, like mine..."  
  
Snape frowned, studying her as she went on and on where she now sat so precariously upon the edge of his desk . Something... was different about her, about her behavior. No...it couldn't be. Leaning forward a bit, he sniffed the air around her, and immediately grimaced lightly in distaste. Clearly, it could.  
  
"You're drunk," he stated simply, easily snatching the essay back. She blinked a bit, before turning about, her body swaying with the movement.  
  
"Nonsense! The words were just... swimming about the page... just like little fishies..."  
  
She giggled lightly. Snape rolled his eyes, before standing and moving around his desk.   
  
"Bloody hell, Kathrynne. This is not like you," he spoke crossly, already reaching to grab her arm to get her off his desk.  
  
Frowning as if taking offense, she sluggishly snatched her arm back.  
  
"That is precisely the point, Severus!" she exclaimed, raising a finger pointedly into the air as if she indeed did have a point she was getting at... but had forgotten, it seemed. The finger dropped, and she leaned in close to him as if sharing a secret. "Did you know the house elves keep more than just pumpkin juice in the kitchens?"  
  
Snape didn't look the least bit amused. He didn't look the least bit anything.  
  
"Kathrynne. You're going to bed."  
  
"Its true!" she went on, as if having not heard him. She spoke rather animatedly, throwing her hands up into the air frequently and gesturing often. "Sirius, Remus and I went down there and found us an entire bottle of somethun' quite strong... I-I'm not sure, but I do believe it was rum or some other alcoholic drink Muggles fancy..."  
  
Snape seemed to only grow cooler at the mention of those two men.  
  
"Kathrynne...!"  
  
"No, wait! I know! It was tequila!"  
  
"Kathrynne Celeste!!"  
  
Kat whipped around, stumbling, to face him, blinking wide eyes in surprise.   
  
"Gracious, Sev dear! No need to shout! I have perfectly good reasons for being here and I intend to carry them out before going anywhere." Nodding rather matter-of-factly, she patted his stomach, before stepping back, her hands going to the simple tie that held her robes closed. The next few moments all happened rather quickly and unexpectedly for poor Snape.   
  
"I just wanted to let you know that this..." And quite suddenly, she opened the robe to reveal... her nearly naked body, clad only in a rather revealing, rather small and snugly fit, black one- piece lingerie. To be quite frank, it left little up to the imagination. Snape must have surely noticed this, from the sudden paling of his already sallow skin, widening of his eyes... and opening of his mouth.   
  
"Yes, this, my dear Professor Snape, will never ever be yours for the taking," she continued, walking right on up to him as she spoke. He, of course, was frozen to the spot in shock, surprise... but neither unpleasantly so. Quite the contrary. Kathrynne had... a wonderful body.  
  
Snape stood completely still, his jaw tightening and muscles tensing. He tried not to look below her neck, but it was near impossible, what with the way she was swinging her hips back and forth. Even if she was drunk, its was at once seductive and - dare he think it? - sexy.  
  
... or not.  
  
In her drunken stupor, Kat stumbled over the trailing end of her robes, falling right into his arms. He just barely caught her.   
  
"Oops!" she exclaimed, his hands becoming a little tangled in her drooping robes. "The, erm... floor is a bit slippery there..."  
  
She shifted awkwardly and without much grace at all, reaching up his arms and pulling on his robes to stand up straighter. Snape's lip curled in a bit of a sneer, though at this angle, he could see even more of... well... her.  
  
"C'mon, Severus," she purred and slurred. "You know you want me."  
  
He narrowed his eyes down at her and took a deep, steadying breath. Perhaps resisting her was pointless.  
  
"Yes, Kathrynne," he said quietly, that thick, underlying layer of velvet clear in his tone. "I do want you... to remove yourself from my office, return to your quarters, and go to sleep."  
  
"Liar," she pouted briefly, before smiling slyly. "Doesn't matter. I'm gonna stay... " she raised a slender hand to his cheek, "and torture you," those fingers brushed down his cheek, playing about his thin lips for a moment, "until you give in, begging me to give myself to you."   
  
She leaned forward so that they were cheek to cheek, and her mouth was just at his ear. The beating of his heart quickened as he felt her warm breath against his skin and heard the sultry whispering of her voice.  
  
"You're going to want me...like no man... has ever wanted any woman before."  
  
As if to seal that statement, he suddenly felt her tongue on his skin... and then her teeth nipping his earlobe.   
  
That made him snap. It nearly made him give in. With a sharp intake of breath, he suddenly grabbed her wrists, holding her slightly away from him.   
  
"Don't toy with me, woman," he hissed dangerously.  
  
When she looked at him, Kat only smiled, a slow, coy, knowing smile, and her eyes were intoxicating. It both infuriated and enthralled him. Terrible thing was, she knew it, too. She had won, and was now leaning forward to claim her prize. Snape's mind told him to resist, to cast the temptress away, but his body would not obey. His body had a mind of its own. His hands only hesitated for the briefest of heartbeats before wrapping around her waist, only to slowly lower to the soft, naked skin of her bottom. He could feel a pulsing below his waist, within him, and a hardening as he brought her closer in to it. It was a pulsing, throbbing, that matched her own. Bodies touching. Pressing against. Lips, closer yet... as her hands pulled his face down to close that distance... there was blood rushing...and then... and then...  
  
Kat passed out, suddenly leaving Severus in dire need of a cold shower.  
  
In the end, after he'd managed to calm down enough to contemplate returning her to her quarters, he instead decided to bring her to his own. Finding her limp body surprisingly light, he carried her down the darkened hallways, quite relieved it was after hours and all students were in their dormitories.  
  
Once he magically unlocked the door to his room, he carried her in, raising the light of the dimmed torches within by way of more muttered spells. His room was not extravagant, but mildly decorated with deep, rich colors. Snape was quite in tune with beauty, even if he found none within himself, and knew others didn't as well. Shelves were filled with numerous books, and even more vials of potions kept specifically there for storage purposes. Some were for his own use, or emergency cases, and the torchlight flickered brilliantly through their clear, colorful hues. Most prominent was his lavish bed, made large for a wizard who was prone to restless nights of tossing, turning, and waking finding himself tangled in the covers, limbs often splayed out.  
  
He carefully laid her out onto the bed, his fingers lingering briefly just inches from her face after he'd set her head back against the pillows gently. A light sigh escaped through his uneven teeth as he watched her sleeping form. How could it be she looked so innocent and angelic when she had been the very child of the devil only moments before?   
  
Snape knew the night's nearly happening events would not leave his memory any time soon. As such, he decided it would be best to return to his office to avoid any further... temptations. He'd gone without sleep before; he could do it again tonight. Pausing only a moment more with one last look, he started to turn and head towards the door.   
  
Kat's groggy voice, however, stopped him.  
  
"Don't go."  
  
It had been so soft, he almost wasn't sure he'd heard what he'd thought he'd heard. Turning back to her, he frowned in bewilderment.   
  
"Kathrynne, what-?"  
  
"Stay here, in...in bed," she spoke again, her eyelids drooping even as she spoke. He looked suspicious and doubting, so she was quick to add, "Just until I fall asleep."  
  
Snape wasn't so sure.  
  
"Please."  
  
It was amazing how he found himself unable to refuse that woman tonight.   
  
Cautiously climbing into bed beside her, he laid out upon his back, arms straight at his sides. It was awkward, but then again, being in bed with a woman was unsurprisingly so for the potions professor. The DADA professor, however, as she was drifting off to sleep, had other plans in mind. Before she had fallen completely asleep, Kat was snuggled up against him, her head resting upon his breast, and his long, thin arm wrapped around her. She looked completely peaceful. He looked anything but.  
  
It took Snape a while to fall asleep that night.

* * *

Kat woke sometime just after dawn to find herself quite comfortable. The inevitable headache that was sure to follow with the inevitable phase of her hangover had not hit her yet. Her hazel green eyes flickered open wearily, lashes blinking away lingering sleep. It did not surprise her, at first, that her surroundings were completely new and unfamiliar. She almost went back to sleep, shifting and settling herself even more snug against the soft, sleek pillow and the almost velvety covers...  
  
That particular fantasy did not last long. Realization hit her. Before closing her eyes again, she'd glimpsed a somewhat familiar, black-robed figure sitting at the desk nearby. Eyes snapping open, she turned over suddenly to confirm her suspicions. It was her sharp intake of surprised breath that made Snape turn around in his chair, brow raised.   
  
"Severus," she breathed, clearly shocked.  
  
"Kathrynne," he spoke in a much calmer, quiet voice, though those black eyes watched her alertly as she slowly stood.   
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, eyes accusing.  
  
He frowned. "These are my chambers." Pause. "You're in my bed."  
  
His words were emphasized and clearly sarcastic. She instinctively opened her mouth to protest, before frowning and glancing about the room. Oh, wow. This wasn't her room.  
  
"What am I doing in your chambers?" She was starting to panic now.  
  
"You... don't remember anything about last night?" he narrowed his eyes, watching her closely now as he neared the bed. Cautiously. She thought a moment before answering.  
  
" I... I remember some images, little things," she started slowly, searching her hazy memory. "I drank a lot... Merlin, too much, and then..." Her eyes met his, brow raised, "I went to your office?"  
  
He nodded slowly, right at the bed now, and looking down at her. "And then I took you here."  
  
"Oh... oh!" she had suddenly glanced down at what little she was wearing beneath robes that had fallen open sometime during her sleep. Blushing, she quickly pulled the material closer around her suddenly chilly body. A thought entered her head, and she uneasily looked anywhere but into his eyes. She couldn't believe she was asking him this question, but she had to know. "Erm, we didn't.... well... did we?"  
  
Severus knew what she meant and sighed quietly, looking and feeling quite tired all of a sudden.  
  
"No... no. Nothing happened." He lowered his gaze away from her, seemingly no longer able to see that relief that had washed upon her face. "You asked me to stay. Stay is all I have done, nothing else."  
  
Kat suddenly felt very guilty. Of course he wouldn't do anything... like that... to her. Severus would never...  
  
But then, he was turning away as if to move back to his desk. She had visibly relaxed at his words, and this made him uncomfortable. Had he hoped to see disappointment on her face? Scowling lightly, irritated by the notion, he found he wasn't exactly sure. For whatever reason the previous night's Kat had wanted him to stay, it did not linger in the Kat of that morning.  
  
Or did it?  
  
"Severus," she called, sitting up more to quickly reach out and just barely snag the black material of his sleeve. He paused and looked down at her wearily.  
  
Kat suddenly, and quite surprisingly, adored him for that. He had taken care of her and not taken advantage of her in her vulnerable state when he most certainly could have. Even now, he did not push for anything, when surely in his eyes she could see his tiredness with her. His patience. Looking up at him, she gently slid her hand down and took his hand in hers, entwining her fingers with his. He looked surprised, but slowly complied, closing his fingers between hers.  
  
"Thank you," she smiled sincerely. "I do remember being a bitch to you last night, and I would not have blamed you if you had decided to not take care of me, but... you did."  
  
He relaxed a little, too, before slowly sitting upon his bed beside her. "I couldn't very well leave you in my office to empty your stomach all over...everything."  
  
She almost laughed in amusement, but quickly frowned instead.  
  
"Oh, God," she looked quite embarrassed. "I didn't throw up, did I?"  
  
He smiled very slightly. "No, no you did not." Arching a brow mock-seriously, he continued, "but do let me know if you plan on doing that now. I'll retrieve you a bucket."  
  
That earned an eye-roll from Kat. "Thanks, but I think I'll be alright."  
  
For a moment, they smiled quietly to one another, before she looked down to their joined hands. His fingers were so surprisingly long and graceful... and felt so good locked in an embrace with hers. An embrace...  
  
"Severus," she started quietly, smile gone to be replaced with a thoughtful frown. "Last night... when I came to your office... if I said anything even remotely offensive to you, I'm   
sorry-"  
  
"No," he cut her off, his free hand moving as if to touch her cheek, but staying there at his side. "Don't apologize."  
  
She frowned, looking up sharply. "But, Severus, I-"  
  
"Did nothing worth apologizing for," he finished thickly, gaze meeting hers fiercely. "Not now."  
  
Something in his voice and his gaze sent chills down her spine. He always had that effect on her, and especially now. Even as she swallowed hard, it was only a few heartbeats more before they were kissing. It was tender at first, but quickly became passionate, Snape surprisingly the one who deepened it. It was a kiss they'd shared before, exciting both, but that time... nothing more had happened. That had been it. Now was slightly different. Now, she adored him for what he'd done, or, that is, hadn't done. The mood was changed. Altered. She slowly took both his hands and moved them to her shoulders and her open robes. He seemed to understand, his cool hands sliding the material down her shoulders. Her skin felt naked now, only clothed in the black undergarments. Severus finally broke away, leaving both breathless, and his eyes searching hers.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked softly. She knew what he meant.  
  
"Yes," she replied in barely above a whisper. With that, she moved her own fingers to begin unbuttoning the front of his robes. Once she'd finished and pushed them down and off his own shoulders, she paused to drink him in. His chest bare within the opened robes, he was no muscular man, but not unsatisfying either. Not unsatisfying at all.  
  
"What?" he asked with a touch of suspicion. Perhaps even... slight unease. She met his eyes and shook her head.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all," she spoke, laying a hand upon his cool chest. A slight shudder ran down his spine at that unknown touch. "You're... perfect."   
  
That was more than enough for him. He leaned in to capture her lips again with his own. She felt his fingers splay upon her back, fingers already playing with the strap that held what little she wore on her body. Severus grew bold, letting his lips trail down her neck to her shoulders and linger upon the nape of her neck. It was surprisingly quite relaxing, and she'd just closed her eyes in content, enjoying the simple feelings of pleasure, when... her hazel hues popped open.  
  
"Severus... stop."  
  
He did not stop right away. "Hmm?"  
  
"Stop. Now."  
  
He frowned at her firm voice, dark eyes narrowing as he broke away. "Now? Why?  
  
"Because I think I'm going to be sick."  
  
With that, she suddenly disentangled herself from him and jumped up from the bed to make a mad dash to his personal bathroom. Fortunately, the professors were privileged with their own washrooms, else she would have been forced down the hallway in her undergarments, probably passing many students on their way to breakfast. Luckily, she'd made it just a moment in time to empty her stomach.  
  
Snape sighed. This was not going at all as he'd hoped. Remembering something, he stood and turned back to his desk to reach for a tube of a clear red potion.  
  
"I'm sorry," she called out miserably from inside.  
  
Snape took a moment to answer, his face buried in one hand.  
  
"Its alright," he replied dryly, voice muffled. "I have a potion here I should have given you when you woke up." He forced himself to stand up from the bed and move back to his desk. "It should help with the aftereffects of the drink you had last night."  
  
"Drinks," she said simply, sounding pitiful. "Plural." She winced, sitting on the floor of the bathroom. He didn't sound particularly happy, not that she blamed him. Standing slowly, and unsteadily, she appeared at the doorway to the bathroom, looking pale and rather weak. Not only that, but her inevitable headache had struck. Snape handed her a small mug filled with a reddish liquid. She eyed it skeptically, but he only raised his brow expectantly. Giving in, she gulped it all down quickly.   
  
Kat pulled a face that even made his lips twitch in dry amusement. She looked back up at him pitifully a moment, though really, she was already starting to feel quite better... even if her face was still pale and her breath was most likely rank.  
  
The mood, however, had been quite ruined.  
  
"I've ruined everything, haven't I?" she asked quietly, meeting his gaze guiltily.  
  
"Its... alright," he forgave her a bit reluctantly, giving her a pointed look. "However, next time Black invites you to go gallivanting around the kitchens, kindly remember that alcohol and Kathrynne do not mix, and decline."  
  
Kat dipped her gaze away, cheeks reddening. The name 'Black' was still like a snarl upon his lips. Feeling especially guilty now, an idea suddenly formed conveniently in her head that might just help to better their situation.  
  
"I should be feeling better by, say, oh I don't know... tonight after dinner, right?"  
  
"You should feel, more or less, like your usual chipper self by lunch, actually," he nodded, sounding a bit suspicious. Kat instantly dived into her plan.  
  
"Let me make it up to you then?"  
  
He hesitated, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Actually... I have essays to grade, Kathrynne, essays that will not grade themselves."  
  
She paused, then, "Please?"  
  
Again with the pleading. With a voice like that and the silent begging in her lovely eyes, he knew he could not possibly refuse her just as he had not refused her all night. One might wonder if the great potions master was going weak.  
  
"I suppose I could grade them a little later," he mused slowly.   
  
Her face, if still a bit sickly, brightened noticeably with a smile. She reached for his hand suddenly and gave it a heartfelt squeeze.  
  
"Thank you. I promise I will make it all worth your while."  
  
Something about the way she cheerfully purred that word made him long for that evening now.  
  
Snape left his chambers first to head to the Great Hall for breakfast, quite alone. They had realized right away that many students would get suspicious seeing them walking together, much less leaving his room together. The paintings alone might figure something was up and spread the gossip about the school. After taking advantage of a refreshing shower in his bathroom, Kathrynne returned to her office, not feeling like rushing to the Great Hall to gulp down some breakfast before her first class. Perhaps luckily for her, however, an extravagant breakfast was waiting for her on her desk, along with the harbinger of the food, sitting comfortably in her chair.  
  
Snuffles.  
  
When he saw her, he barked happily, wagging his tail. Before she could say anything, there was a loud pop, and he'd turned back into his natural form.  
  
"Good morning, lovely lady," he grinned, jumping up to stand before her. Eyes bright, and dark hair falling just so into his eyes as usual, he was looking quite chipper and showing off no effects of his earlier drinking escapades. "When I didn't see you at breakfast, I figured you'd slept in, after last night's kitchen romps." He winked knowingly. "So, I brought breakfast to you!"  
  
Kat gave a small, half-hearted laugh, feeling her cheeks redden yet again. If only Sirius knew about sort of tumbles she'd nearly taken that morning... Putting her thoughts, instead, on the food, she eyed it uneasily, feeling her stomach turn over.  
  
"Oh, Sirius," she sighed, forcing gratitude, "That was very kind of you, but..." her eyes met his helplessly, "I don't think I could keep any of this down!"  
  
Sirius grimaced with a knowing nod. "Hung-over, huh? I probably shouldn't have let you drink so much last night. You're not used to it like I am, I suppose."  
  
"Well, actually... I'm feeling much better," she half-smiled, with a small shrug of her shoulders. "You see, Severus gave me a potion that helped with the aftereffects of... last night."  
  
And just like that, the expression upon Sirius' face that had been cheerful short moments earlier darkened considerably. Those two really did hate each other, didn't they?  
  
"You two getting nice and close, aren't you?" he crossed his arms over his chest, looking almost as pitiful as a stubborn child who wasn't getting his way. And Sirius Black, just like the spoiled child he had once been, was quite used to getting his way. His question was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Maybe," she said carefully, arching a brow suspiciously. "Sirius... are you... _jealous_?"  
  
Sirius bristled, literally bristled, just like a dog would, and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Stop flattering yourself, Kat," he shot back, approaching her. "There are some things you don't know about Snape. You don't know what he really is."  
  
"What he _used_ to be," she calmly corrected him. He raised his brow.  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
"Yes," she answered without hesitating, meeting his gaze levelly.  
  
Sirius searched her eyes. For a moment, something in his seemed to change slightly. His cocky posture slumped, and there was something... real about him. It wasn't an act. She could tell at once he was being sincere.  
  
"You hang around a guy like that, you could get hurt, and..." he spoke, raising his hand to her face. He hesitated, as if changing his mind, and instead gently pushed a few strands of golden red from her forehead. "I couldn't bear to see anything happen to you."  
  
It was the Sirius she remembered from her school days, but then again... it also wasn't. He was being sincere. The undoubtedly good-looking man standing quite close to her really cared about her... and it wasn't incredibly easy to resist. His hand lingered against her cheek, and it was at once very different from Severus' touch. The potions master had cool skin that sent shivers down her spine. They were shivers of pleasure, but...Sirius was all warm, and something about that felt wonderful as well. The two were more very similar. Both were stubborn and both could be cocky, but both also had strange effects on her. He half-grinned very gently to her, and she knew, in that instant, she had to do something about it.  
  
"I know, Sirius," she nodded, taking a step back and away. "And thank you. It means more than you to have a friend like you."  
  
She forced a small smile, and his hand dropped reluctantly back to his side. His smile fell with a soft sigh, and it almost broke her to see that look of defeat and disappointment in his eyes. He nodded, thrusting his hands into his pockets and lowering his gaze.  
  
"Yeah, well... guess you have classes soon. I'll let you get to that."  
  
He forced a half-hearted, faint smile that lasted only seconds upon his lips before walking past her without another look. Kathrynne sighed heavily after he had left, burying her face in her hands before running them through her hair. The good mood she'd been in only moments before with Severus was definitely gone. Teaching her classes today was no longer looking especially bright upon the near horizon.  
  
In all actuality, Kathrynne breezed through her morning classes with little to no troubles or problems whatsoever, save the usual with the Weasley twins. Thanks to the potion she'd taken, she didn't feel anything wrong at all. It was almost as if she hadn't gotten terribly drunk and made a fool of herself last night. Well. Almost. She feared the images she remembered, of coming on to Snape and the morning after, would be burned into her memory for a long time to come. At least it had all ended on a happy note with the two of them. That certainly was making 'them' look promising to her.   
  
As such, the noon hour arrived swiftly and she was soon making her way to her usual spot at the head of the Great Hall. However, her smile turned into a light frown. All the teachers were present, more or less, save that familiar dark figure of the potions master. Sure, he'd missed and skipped dinners before, but she would have thought he'd want to be there today. Still, trying not to appear disappointed, she took her seat as usual and began eating. It was towards the end of the meal, when Albus Dumbledore was getting up to leave, that she addressed him quietly and in the most casual voice possible.   
  
"Headmaster, have you seen Severus any this morning?"  
  
None of the other professors seemed to take any notice of her calm question, save McGonagall. The older woman's head bobbed up slightly, thin brow shooting up curiously. Kat tried to ignore her, focusing instead on the kindly face of the wise old wizard.  
  
"I imagine he's just taking lunch in his office today, Kathrynne," Dumbledore answered lightly, though for a moment, she could have sworn she'd noticed his upper lip twitch. It was slightly hidden in that massive, glowing beard of his, however, so she couldn't be sure whether or not her mind had been playing tricks on her.   
  
But she had no right to question the headmaster, so she'd only nodded and let him leave. McGonagall, however, still seemed interested, and conversationally leaned over to Kathrynne with a question of her own.  
  
"Why so interested, Professor Celeste?"  
  
Kathrynne blinked in slight surprise, feeling her throat tighten slightly. Did she suspect something? No, surely not. How could Minerva have even the slightest idea that something was going on between her and Severus. Hell, she wasn't even sure that anything really was going on between them, and if it really was, she didn't know much what to make of it herself. A relationship with the man could hardly even be defined as that, in her opinion. Smiling lazily, she just shook her head.  
  
"No reason. I just wanted to thank him for a potion he made me."  
  
With that, she returned to finishing her soup. McGonagall seemed more or less satisfied, and also went back to her meal. It was all Kat could do not to let out a sigh of relief.  
  
The thing was, however, that Kat did not find comfort in the later mealtime of dinner, after her afternoon classes. They'd gone about as smoothly as her earlier classes, with mainly book work and assigned essays, but a strange feeling had nagged at her constantly. Like little pinpricks on the back of her neck, they had not gone away. When she found herself back in the Great Hall that evening, she had a feeling why. Again, Snape did not show up. Somehow making it through another dinner, Kat practically wolfed down her food before excusing herself early. Snape, however, was not to be found in his office, classroom, or even his quarters.   
  
Now she was really starting to worry, and a worrying Kathrynne was physically incapable of just sitting back and not doing a thing about it. So, she determinedly went back to Dumbledore, at his office, this time. Surprised, however, to see Remus and Sirius talking with the headmaster after she was allowed inside, she blurted out her reason for being there nonetheless.  
  
"Where is Severus?"  
  
Dumbledore raised his brow lightly above half-rimmed spectacles. Sirius groaned, burying his face in one hand where he leaned over the headmaster's desk. Remus just looked quietly surprised, his arms gently folded over his thin chest. She looked at each of them in turn, rather pointedly.  
  
"He's on a very special assignment at the moment, Kathrynne," Dumbledore finally answered quietly, looking back at her firmly. It was a look meant to let her know she was to ask no more questions on the subject. Case closed.   
  
But Kathrynne Celeste had always been a stubborn girl. Perhaps more stubborn than her, however, was Sirius Black.  
  
"I still wish you would have let me go with him," Sirius grumbled off to the side before Albus could stop him. Kat arched a brow, glancing at him suspiciously. He, however, was no longer looking at her, but glaring firmly at the bearded wizard. "I could have kept him in check. We can't trust him, Headmaster. We never could."  
  
"You never could trust him, Sirius," Remus mildly corrected him "Don't try to pull Albus into your petty grudge."  
  
"Petty grudge?" Sirius scoffed, fixing his glare on the other man instead. "There was a time you would have agreed with me, Moony! What's happened to you?"  
  
"I grew up."  
  
Kathrynne's gaze flicked back and forth between the two as they argued. For the moment, she was completely ignored and it was quite frustrating.  
  
"No, Remus. You always trusted too easily," Sirius continued, approaching the other in an almost intimidating fashion. "It was your downfall."  
  
"Severus has not wronged us yet," Remus went on, still rather calmly. Kathrynne wondered at how he kept his cool under the likes of the fiery-tempered Black. "And he has shown us no reason to doubt him."  
  
"Just because he hasn't had his Death Eater pals and Voldemort attack us yet doesn't mean a damn thing!" Sirius snarled, his temper only rising. "That's why you and Dumbledore should have let me go along with him to the forest to make sure he didn't tattle on us to his 'inner circle.' "  
  
Kathrynne's brow rose high. Forest. Inner circle. She knew what Severus had been sent to do, now, or at least she had a much better clue. Dumbledore, finally, had stood to stand between the two bickering old friends.  
  
"Enough! Severus will be fine. I trust him as I trust you all," he said in a commanding voice that at once stopped the two from fuming any further. His shark, clear gaze moved to Kathrynne. "I imagine you have papers to grade or calming tea to drink, Kathrynne. Don't let us keep you from it."  
  
The gentle words were clearly a dismissal for her. She did not mind in the least bit, however. Leaving his office meant she could return to her office, snatch a few things, then quietly sneak to the front door. It was close to curfew, so no students loitered about the halls. Peeves nearly caught her once, however, but she'd escaped being seen. Had the ghost seen her, he probably would have started a ruckus that would have brought the nearest witch or wizard running. With her luck, that probably would have been Filch, his cat, Peeves, Dumbledore, McGonagal, Remus, or Sirius... all of whom would have ruined her little outing. Luckily for her, she made it outside unseen and unscathed.  
  
Making her way to the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest was easy. Getting inside was a bit more challenging. Oh, it wasn't physically impossible, of course, it just took a thing that she was lacking at the moment: courage. The forest was dark, shadowy, and filled with strange noises. Gripping her wand beneath the folds of her black robes, however, she murmured some determined words beneath her lips before stepping past the foliage and under a canopy of shredded tree leaves and branches into the forest.  
  
She instantly realized how easy it would be to get lost, and how complicated it would be to find said Death Eater group. Her want was used as a muted light, for she feared a bright one would surely pick up the unwanted attention of any number of bizarre creatures, you-know-who's minions included. As she headed deeper into the forest, however, she noticed it was becoming quieter and quieter. Each step she took brought a crackle of twigs or a smattering of small rocks unearthed by her booted feet. The small sounds she made seemed magnified a hundred times in the dead stillness of the place. Taking a deep breath, Kat could only hope that this was a good sign and meant that she were getting close.  
  
Not that the particular thought made her feel any better or relieved, of course.  
  
It seemed to take an eternity and a day to finally find what she was looking for. Unfortunately, they found her first, by accident. How could she have seen that sudden drop-off and steep curving of the small hill into the lower, engraved clearing the group of black-cloaked figures huddled in? Her light was dim, and had been pointed at suspicious and harmless shadows around her. As such, with a surprised yelp, the poor witch went stumbling and falling into a tangled mess of robes and golden red hair... right at the Death Eaters' feet.   
  
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?"  
  
The voice was at once drawling and cooly smooth in such a way that shivers raced up her spine. She barely had time to raise her slightly dirtied and bruised face before rough hands drug her to her feet from either arm. Coughing dust out into one hand, she had to reach up to push astray, messy hair from her face, finally clearing her vision to see... something she at once realized she would have been much better off not seeing.  
  
Lucius Malfoy. It had to be. His hood had been pushed back, revealing long, silvery hair framing a pale, sharply defined and pointed face. His lips were pulled out into a smile that was at once as creepy as it was charming. She understood then how he had easily gotten his way with the ministry. At once, her heart beat loudly in her chest as she realized the great danger she'd so willingly put herself in. _Stupid, stupid, stupid..._ The rest of the death eaters still had their hoods pulled down low, and it was hard to see into their shadowy faces to make anything of them. As such, she was unable to pick out Snape's face among them before the slippery Malfoy was gleefully addressing... someone else.  
  
"We've been brought a lovely little toy to play with!" Lucius exclaimed maliciously, his voice practically oozing slime. There were sneers and cruel chuckles from the group. She gasped out in surprise and pain when Malfoy suddenly grabbed her wrist roughly, pulling her to his side. "Severus, my friend! Who have you brought here for us? She is your doing, is she not?"  
  
Kat's heart leaped within her chest, her eyes dancing up eagerly as another hooded figure stepped forward. It seemed to take him forever to push back that hood, revealing that face she'd come to know so well. Relief that had been welling inside her, however, stopped short at seeing the look upon his face. Disappointment. Sneering disappointment. Bitterness. Cold resentment. And... something else...  
  
"I'll take care of her, Lucius," he hissed coldly, black eyes glittering into hers. It was definitely not the Snape of that morning, the one that had kindly made her that potion, or the one who had not taken advantage of her. Something made her think this Snape would take advantage of her, or any other woman, quite easily and for cruel purposes. As such, a chill ran down her spine when he took hold of her other wrist.  
  
"But Severus, you got to have the last one, too," Lucius practically pouted, his grey eyes glinting in a sinister manner as he pulled Kathrynne closer to himself. She literally felt like one of those cartoon girls being fought over by rivaling males, except... the purposes of these men were surely barbarous. She wanted to step away, but forceful hands from two death eaters prevented that. Instead, she glared up at him with all the courage she could muster. It just made him laugh in icy amusement.  
  
"She does seem to have a fiery spirit," he mused thoughtfully, so close to her that he could easily reach out and touch her. Instead, he looked her up and down, pausing on certain 'delectable' parts of her, and at once she wanted to use physical force to bring him down. To hell with magic. But being fiery and stubborn as she was, she opened her mouth to finally retort, or throw a mighty insult his way.  
  
"I said she's mine," Severus interrupted, louder this time, before she could say anything.  
  
Lucius narrowed his eyes, looking over to Snape with a strange little smile playing about his lips. The other death eaters, seeming to pick up the beginnings of a friendly little 'spat,' took cautious steps away from the two. "Very well, my friend. No need to get all bothered about it. Just remember... you owe me the next one, yes?"   
  
A sigh of relief seemed to pass through the others.  
  
"I promise to make it worth your while," Snape hissed through a scornful, slight smile.   
  
Kat visibly flinched, remembering herself saying those very same words to Snape earlier that morning. It seemed like ages ago, now. Lucius, meanwhile, did not seem ready to leave behind this new prize, but he forced himself to turn to the group.   
  
"You all know your duties. The Dark Lord will grace us with his presence next time," he smiled slowly, raising his hands. "The hour of our glorious beginning grows nearer, my friends. Our Lord shall rule the wizarding world, and we shall be his kings and princes. We shall all be royalty. Until then."  
  
And one by one, they all departed, by way of until only Kathrynne and Snape were left. Lucius had left rather unwillingly, looking temptingly to the witch, but he'd finally also vanished. She relaxed when the two of them were alone, but he didn't exactly look completely at ease. He shot her a glare that meant to silence her, before stalking off through the forest. Swallowing a bit, she hurried to catch up after him.  
  
"What did he mean, you got the last one?" she spoke up after they'd been walking quickly through the silence only broken by the forest's natural noises.   
  
"You should not have come here, Kathrynne," he snarled in a low voice. She didn't take a hint.  
  
"You're... ashamed to tell me, aren't you?" she asked quietly, lowering her gaze.   
  
When the tall man stopped abruptly, she very nearly ran right into his back. When she looked up into his towering face, glaring down menacingly at her, she at once wished he hadn't turned to face her.  
  
"The last he meant was a simple muggle woman that I let go free," he answered impatiently, as if he were talking to a student. A Gryffindor student. Harry Potter, perhaps. "I allowed Lucius to believe that I tortured and killed her, just like old times. There." He raised his brow sharply, voice dry and sharply sarcastic. "Are you satisfied now?"  
  
Without waiting for her reply, he whipped back around and continued walking. Looking bewildered and upset, she did the same, though more than just a few paces behind him.  
  
"Old.... times?" she asked, voice even softer now but curious still.  
  
"When I used to be a devoted Death Eater."  
  
There was now turning to be a lump in her throat. A very uncomfortable lump. This was sounding all too familiar.  
  
"So when you used to torture...r-rape and... kill women," she went on in a slightly broken, strangled voice.   
  
She could see his shoulders and muscles tighten, long-fingered hands forming fists at his sides just as he stopped again, abruptly. They were just at the edge of the forest, now. The castle was visible through that last line of trees and foliage. Kathrynne found she was not the least bit comforted by any of this, however.   
  
"I never... raped... anyone," Severus managed in a voice that sounded painful for him to speak in. It at once broke her heart and made her want to hex him into another country at the same time. Damnit.   
  
"So you only tortured and killed them, then, is that right?" she asked sarcastically, voice hollow. "Oh, good, Severus. That makes its alright, then. No harm done."  
  
He turned slightly, eyes narrowed. "Kathrynne, you knew what you were getting yourself into when you wanted to know me."  
  
"Knowing and seeing for myself are completely different," she countered, quietly bitter.  
  
He scowled. "I never willingly pulled you into any of this."  
  
"Oh, so its my fault then?" she half-laughed dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Of course it is. Well, in that case, why don't I remedy the situation?"   
  
Without waiting for his answer, she swept cooly past him. The very sight of him had started to make her sick. Head held high, she continued her determined trek without so much as a look back at him. At least he was not following her at a close distant; that much she could be sure of. She didn't want to be followed. She didn't want him to try and stop her. She wanted to keep on walking all the way, straight back to her quarters to collapse onto her bed.   
  
That was exactly what she did. However, upon reaching her room, she was stopped by the large form right outside her door. He was there, slumped against the door in a large, black pitiful heap, head laying upon his huge paws, and eyes looking up at her sadly. Lips twitching downward in annoyance, she leaned right over him to unlock and open the door.  
  
"I'm really not in the mood, Snuffles."  
  
Snuffles raised his massive head and whimpered miserably. Ignoring him in all his pathetic glory, she stepped nimbly over him and into her chambers. Unfortunately for her, he was quick to jump to his feet and follow her inside before she could close the door in his face.  
  
"When are you ever _in_ the mood?" Sirius asked grumpily, after he'd instantly transformed back.  
  
Kat just turned to him, expression weary and clearly explaining she'd be taking none of his sarcasm or sympathy-buys today. "Seriously, now... Sirius," she frowned slightly, catching the unintentional pun. He wasn't amused. Most likely it was an old joke by now. "I've had a really bad evening, and all I want to do now is go to bed and make the world go away for a few hours of blissful sleep." She raised her brow sharply. "Clear enough for you?"  
  
Sirius got the picture, more or less, and started to turn. However, he paused, brow furrowed in light thought, and had to ask.  
  
"Its Snape again, isn't it?"  
  
"Sirius- " she started in a warning tone.  
  
"Kat, listen to me," he took a bit of a breath, facing her completely again. "You know I would never... I mean, if you let me get close, I would..."  
  
She looked at him pointedly, opening one hand out in question. Clearly, whatever he was trying to say was important, and she already had a sneaking suspicion what it was about.  
  
"I'd never hurt you, Kitty Kat, and I'd never let any harm come to you," he continued, approaching her, eyes focused on hers intensely.   
  
It did not stop there, however. He impulsively took her hand in his, and though she wasn't feeling up to this at all... she didn't step away from him. She sighed softly, gaze lowered upon their hands.  
  
"We've been down this road before, Sirius," she spoke, voice mild.  
  
"We were just wreck-less kids," he gave a half-shrug. "I think we've grown up a bit since then."  
  
"Some of us haven't," she shook her head gently, looking back up into his dark eyes, "not so much."   
  
He sighed, lowering his gaze guiltily. Biting her lower lip, she knew she'd touched recently opened wounds with his earlier fight with Remus.   
  
"First Remus, now you," he smirked dryly. "Ever feel like the entire world is against you?"  
  
She frowned softly, studying him a moment. Sirius cared about Remus, and he obviously cared about her. Hesitating only a moment, she finally gave in and leaned forward to kiss his cheek softly. "Thank you, Sirius. I needed that. Good night."  
  
But he didn't leave right away. Arching a brow, he cleared his throat in an inconspicuously casual manner. "You know, I don't really have to leave right away..."  
  
"_Goodnight_, Sirius," she repeated, smiling tightly.   
  
With a goofy half-grin, he nodded and left. Kat found she didn't feel completely better, but her spirits had, at least, been lifted. One of Sirius Black's good qualities was that he had always had that sweet effect on her. Now, all she could hope was that sleep would be quick to overtake her, and put her thoughts to rest, at least for the night. Tomorrow would be another story.

* * *

A/N: Still with me? Then don't forget to review! Thanks!


	11. Temporary Leave

**I**t was amazingly easier than she had feared it would not be. Over the next few days, Professor Kathyrnne Celeste avoided prolonged, and even brief contact with Professor Severus Snape. At meals, she was careful to sit at the opposite end of the staff table as he. Should they happen to find themselves in close proximity, she ignored his presence. She made certain there were no longer any late night visits to either one's office, classroom, or personal quarters. It was all made quite easier on her part because he also did not go out of his way to attempt conversation with her. At all. Severus seemed to be holding onto this recent grudge just as well as she. This both frustrated and curiously satisfied Kat, in a small way. As such, it could all be quite confusing.

On a more pleasant note, however, there no longer seemed to be any reason for suspicions to arise from their fellow staff or particularly clever students who sensed something was going on. This did not mean their lack of unusual actions together went completely unnoticed.

It had been nearly a week and Kat had barely said two words to Severus, and even those had been clipped, cool, and barely cordial. She was currently sitting in her office at a pile of ungraded assignments upon her desk. However, her attention was focused fully on a recent owl letter she'd received. As such, she was completely surprised when Albus Dumbledore himself suddenly popped his head through the open doorway.

"I do hope you're writing a letter of acceptance in reply to your sister's wedding invitation."

Startled, Kat practically jumped a mile into the air, papers flying everywhere off her desk. Looking up and focusing on the mildly amused face of the older wizard, she tried to access the strange situation quickly.

She failed completely.

"Sorry… what?" she frowned in confusion, glancing down at the letter in her hands, then back up at him. "But, Headmaster, how did you know that Alanna sent me an invitation?"

He smiled gently, those sky-blue eyes glittering softly beneath half-moon spectacles.

"Because she also sent me a letter begging that I allow you leave to attend." He arched a brow. "And I must say, it was a rather convincing letter."

Kat sighed lightly. "I'm sorry that she had to pester you like that, sir, and I understand my obligations as the DADA professor here. I'll simply tell her that it is entirely impossible for me to – "

" – not pack immediately and leave at once," he cleverly interrupted, standing in front of her desk now.

"But my classes…"

" – can be taught by Remus in your absence. I've already spoken to him and he's already accepted."

Kat would not be defeated so easily, however.

"But Headmaster, I can't just leave in the middle of the semester like this."

"You can and you will." He softened his voice and expression then as only Dumbledore could. "I believe it will be easier on you and a certain potions professor if you spend some time apart."

Kat's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open slightly. She covered it quickly with an uneasy half-laugh, then quickly raised a hand to brush back her hair absently, aware her cheeks were warming a bit.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would Severus – that is, Professor Snape – and I need to be apart?"

"Kathrynne," he smiled knowingly, "I know Severus quite well and have noticed the changes in him recently. I've seen the hidden looks and knowing smiles you two would exchange, among other things," he arched a brow, "all barely there, but still visible. I do not see these anymore. The mood between you two has changed, and he is rather more like his usual self."

Kat sighed, knowing there was no point in denying all this, and leaned her elbows on the table..

"Severus is not exactly an easy man to get to know… and trust."

"And yet you care do care for him," he spoke thoughtfully. It was not a question.

She didn't answer, nor meet his gaze. He smiled again, then fondly patted her head with his gentle hand as if she were a favorite student or child.

"Go and be with your sister on her momentous occasion. Send her my best wishes and deepest regrets that I will be unable to attend myself."

With that, he was gone, and Kat was left alone with her thoughts and the letter. The chance to see her younger sister again after such a long time of being apart was too tempting for her to pass up. So later that very same day, Kat would be found hastily packing for her trip. However, she could not leave so easily as without a visit first from someone not so unexpected.

"Sirius, I really need to get going."

The large dog whined miserably before practically leaping past her in a giant bound and landing comfortably on her bed. It was only then that he changed back to his human form with a pop.

"You weren't even going to say goodbye?" the man now lounging on her bed pouted. "You're so cold, woman."

She half-smiled wryly. "Alright, Sirius. Goodbye. Now will you please get out of my room so I can finish packing in peace?"

"Sure you don't want a chaperone along with you? Or a bodyguard, perhaps? This idea of a wedding between a muggle and a witch doesn't sound particularly… 'safe' to me." He made a face. "Why is she marrying some muggle git anyway?"

"Because she loves him perhaps?" she arched a brow dryly. "And he's not a git. Alex is a very charming young man."

Sirius rolled his eyes, standing, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest and approaching her. "I'm charming, damnit. He's just… weird. I met the guy once, y'know. Anyway, she's too young to even know what love is."

"You're right. She is. And so are you. Goodbye."

"But Kitty Kat, what if you get into trouble –"

"Not to worry, Black. Kathrynne has proven time and again that she can handle any trouble that comes her way," a particularly dry, sarcastic voice interrupted from the door. "Why, she's even confident enough in herself and her abilities to go out looking for trouble."

Kat narrowed her eyes at the tall, dark form of Severus Snape. Yes, it seemed he still held that grudge for the recent Death eater incident quite well. Sirius also sent a more murderous glare Snape's way.

"Want me to bite him again?" he asked her eagerly.

"No," Kat quickly replied, moving to forcefully push Sirius into Severus and out the door. "I want you both… OUT!"

With one final shove, she finally managed to get them out and slam the door in both their faces. Heaving a great sigh, she turned to finish packing, but her relief, unfortunately, was to be short-lived. The door she had failed to lock opened and shut again after admitting an unwanted guest.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Kathrynne?" Severus asked in a quietly deadly voice.

"None of your business, Severus," she clipped coolly, not pausing to look up at him as she finished packing. He took that opportunity to sweep soundlessly to her, shut the bag, and hover over her menacingly.

"If I haven't made if clear already by your incredibly high standards, then I am now making it my business," he hissed in a more threatening tone.

Having him right there in her face like that, Kat almost snapped. Part of her wanted to give in, to tell him, and then to both have another verbal fight with him and then fall into his arms. She knew, deep inside, however, that it wouldn't work that way. Nothing had ever been simple between the two of them. Sighing softly, she met his gaze calmly.

"Then you're setting yourself up for much disappointment," she replied bitterly, before forcefully pulling her bag away. With that, she pushed past him, carrying her bag, and walked briskly out and down the hall. When Severus stepped out after her into the hallway, eyes narrowed and glittering dangerously, Sirius was still there, leaning casually against the wall.

"She told _me_ where she was going," he gloated like a little kid, grinning slyly and pretending to casually examine his nails. Before Snape could say or do anything, however, he winked and then with a pop, turned back into Padfoot and padded down the hallway. Snape was left alone to brood in his own thoughts.

* * *

Kat immediately decided traveling to visit her sister was exactly what she had needed. Despite the almost ten-year age gap, the two had stayed quite close over the years. One was always quick to pick up on the other's mood. As such, it was only a short moment after a squealing, overexcited Alanna practically threw herself into big sister's arms that she realized something was up.

"What's wrong?" Alanna demanded, breaking away some, her shorter, deep scarlet hair bouncing about her shoulders with the movement.

"Nothing's wrong," Kat attempted a casual lie, regaining her composure after having her sister nearly bowl them both over. Even though Alanna had a smaller, slender body, whereas Kathrynne's was a bit more rounded and curvy, she still was quite powerful. She was a dancer, afterall.

"Something's wrong," Alanna wasn't buying it.

"I'm fine," the other insisted.

The shorter girl arched a brow, green-blue eyes suspicious and unrelenting.

"Kat. We may have not seen each other for a while, but that doesn't mean I've lost my wits. You're definitely giving off some bad vibes," she frowned, stubbornly crossing her arms over chest. "You look tired. What's going on?"

Kat sighed softly, finally giving in. "A lot, but we're not talking about here or now. Can't I at least settle in first, see Jonathan and congratulate him personally? Its been too long since I last saw him…"

Alanna relaxed at the mention of her fiancé and smiled slowly, apologetically. "Its been too long since _you_ saw _me_. Alright. We'll go to our place, first, but then I expect you to spill every little detail, big sister."

Kat smiled dryly. There definitely was much to spill, and she already knew Alanna wouldn't care much for one bit of it.

Alanna's fiancé, Jonathan Chateau, had recently inherited millions from a grandfather who had passed away. Along with the riches came the deed of a luxurious mansion, where the wedding guests, including Kat, would be staying. While Jonathan taught English at a nearby university where Alanna taught a few dance classes, neither cared much for this unexpected money they'd been thrown into. Kat knew her sister truly loved him, and that his being rich now had nothing to do with the marriage. Still, it was a great comfort to see her so well taken care of after all they'd both been through in their lives.

"I will have to ask that you try and keep your magic under wraps," Alanna reminded her as she escorted her through the massive, Victorian-style mansion. To Kat, it was almost more like a castle, though it could not possibly hold a candle to Hogwarts. "All those on the groom's side are muggles, naturally, and everyone who is not his parents shouldn't know what you and I really are."

"So the folk's know, then?" Kat arched a brow, her gaze still wandering the sights of the beautiful rooms. "And what did they think of their future daughter-in-law's true identity?"

"Oh, they took it rather well," Alanna nodded casually, "after they got over the initial shock, of course. Then they got all bloody excited about it."

"Yes, Mom and Dad begged and begged me to tie her up and showcase her powers as a kind of carnival sideshow for money and fame," a clearly American, male voice rung out from the swirling, towering staircase above them, "but I told them how stubborn she'd be and want to join a union to take all the money for herself." There was a sigh. "She really did ruin all their fun."

Kat's eyes followed up the staircase to see Jonathan Chateau making his way down. American and a muggle, he also possessed one other quality that might normally go against him – his appearance practically screamed 'geek.' Nerd. Tall and skinny, his dark brown hair parted down the middle, similarily dark, small eyes peered out from beneath black-framed glasses. She remembered him often appearing nervous in the early courting days of the two, but since really falling inlove with Alanna he had long since come out of his shell. They were rather good for each other, Kat thought, what with her sister still being a bit of a wild child and he rather neat and organized.

"My fiancé, the comedian," she rolled her eyes dryly. "Jon, I'm sure you remember my sister, Kat. Kat dear, you couldn't possibly have forgotten someone as annoying as him."

"Ouch, honey," he made a brief face after reaching them, just as she smiled sweetly and leaned up slightly on tip toe to kiss him. Something panged uncomfortably inside Kat at the sight of two people so happy and inlove, but she ignored it. Moving away from his fiancé, he offered his sister-in-law a hand. "Great to see you again, Kat."

"Oh, you can do better than that," she teased gently, pulling him into a warm hug. "Congratulations, Jon. I can't tell you enough how happy I am for the both of you." She arched a warning brow after pulling away. "You break her heart, though, and I'm turning you into a frog."

Alanna snorted at the common witch stereotype. "Oh c'mon, Kat. You can do worse than that." Then added to the joking stereotype. "Turn him into an ant."

"Your support for me is overwhelming," Jon smirked, lovingly pulling her to his side.

"Anything for you, love," she winked, kissing him again, before glancing back to Kat. "Oh, would you take Kat's luggage to her bedroom, please?"

"You know, that's what butlers and maids are for," he spoke dryly, but Alanna was already pulling Kat away.

"You're right. We should get some!" she called over her shoulder, blowing him one last kiss. "Thanks, dear."

"You certainly seem to have him trained," Kat teased after he'd headed back upstairs.

Alanna giggled. "Isn't it lovely? My very own pet husband." She sighed mock-wistfully. "Oh, married life is going to be just grand."

Kat smiled gently, laying a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I really am happy for you, 'Lanna. You deserve all of this."

"Thank you," she returned the smile. "It really is like some surreal dream I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from any minute."

"Not going to happen," Kat raised her brow pointedly

Alanna basked in the glow of happiness a moment longer, before remembering. "Enough about me. What about you? I want you to tell me everything that's happened to you since you got this job teaching at Hogwarts. Sit, sit!"

In a cozy living room, they sat in plush, velvety couches in front of a toasty fireplace. Kat marveled at the grandeur of it all, taking in the deep, rich colors as she gathered her thoughts on what exactly she was going to tell her sister.

"Its also felt like a dream for me," she arched a brow lightly, "and sometimes, more like a nightmare. It seems whoever holds the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is always in for some excitement."

"Oh yeah? What kind of excitement?"

"The kind involving Sirius Black, Death Eaters, tequila, Harry Potter and… Severus Snape," she replied dryly.

Alanna instantly made a disgusted face. "Okay, you had me excited up until you brought Snape into the mix. He been making life a living hell for you like he did me, too?" She grinned slyly. "Please tell me you've turned his hair rainbow colors. I never did graduate to those extremities."

Kat half-smiled wryly. Alanna was young enough to have had Snape as her potions professor his first few years of teaching at Hogwarts. She'd hated the class with a passion, and his feelings for her had been similar. Course, he had good reasons, since she had pulled about every prank in the book on him, including turning his hair blue. Kat figured her sister would get along just splendidly with the young Weasley twins or the similarly young-at-heart Sirius Black.

"Well, no, I haven't done anything like that," Kat began hesitantly, choosing her words carefully, "but he certainly made my life a living hell at times, and at other times… well… "

Taking a deep breath, she plunged on ahead and told Alanna everything that had progressed between her and Snape. She was her sister, after all. The younger woman looked like she was going to be sick several moments while listening, and often made brief, rude and disbelieving comments. It was to be expected, really.

"But you hate him now, right?" Alanna practically demanded, leaning forward in her chair, "because he's a stupid Death Eater and all?"

"Was a stupid Death eater," Kat reminded her, rolling her eyes lightly at the childish description Alanna had used. "Not anymore."

"But, but… still! This is greasy ol' Snape we're talking about here," she stuck out her tongue. "Why couldn't you have picked Remus instead?" Her brow rose. "Or Sirius! He's perfect!"

Kat half-smiled lightly. "Because I told you how things didn't turn out between us when we were kids. I can't go back to that."

"But that was so long ago," she almost whined in her misery. "Things have changed. Despite the whole fugitive bit, Sirius seems like a good enough guy now." She sighed in frustration when Kat, smiling softly, refused to agree. "Snape is such an unfeeling git. How on earth could you have possibly… kissed him?" She made another violently disgusted face.

"Because you don't know him like I do," she continued smiling, eyes going distant a moment. "I mean, he's certainly not perfect nor a Prince Charming, I'll admit, and things have been quite difficult, but…"

Alanna gasped, watching her sister closely as she trailed off helplessly. Suddenly, she jumped up dramatically to her feet and pointed accusingly at Kat. "You like him! You really do like him!" Kat blinked in surprise as her sister, ever the little actress, fell to her knees before her and begged. "Please, please tell me you haven't fallen inlove with him."

Kat's eyes widened. Love… well, really, she hadn't ever thought about that. Could she have possibly fallen inlove with the former Death Eater? It was so much to think about, and almost made her feel rather dizzy and light-headed that she found she couldn't think about it, much less answer her sister's question truthfully now.

"I… I don't know, Alanna," she said instead, quietly. "I mean, I do care for him, but…" She trailed off again with a sigh. "I don't know. Things are a bit… complicated."

Alanna, though somewhat comforted by this, still looked decidedly miserable.

"You're still raining on my happy day," she pouted.

Kat arched a brow mildly. "Have to admit though, 'Lan, you were the one that brought this thing up, not me."

"Fine," Alanna sighed a bit. "Well, Kat, you're my big sister and of course I love you and trust your judgment, but," she narrowed her bright eyes, balling her hands into little fists, "if Snape so much as hurts you in any way, he's going down."

Kat rolled her eyes with a small half-laugh. " 'Going down?'" she repeated. "You know, you really are starting to sound too much like a bloody American."

"Hey now, I do believe that offends me," Jon called dryly from the doorway.

Kat arched a brow. "He always finds the perfect times to drop in one people, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea," Alanna smirked, before pushing herself up to her feet. "Well, come on, then. We've still got a lot to do before the wedding."

"Like what?" Kat asked suspiciously.

"Like try on your dress for the wedding!" Alanna grinned, happy once again, as if the Snape incident had never happened. "We're having a traditional muggle wedding, so no robes, just dresses. I've already picked yours out. Come see!"

Kat arched a brow as her sister tugged at her hand. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of her sister, who had once dyed Severu's hair a violent shade of blue and calling it stylish, picking out her dress. This was going to be interesting, to say the very least.


	12. Getting Ready

**"I** wonder where Professor Celeste went," Hermione Granger mused over her homework. It was another dull day spent in the library for Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, and neither seemed particularly interested even in a subject that would distract from their tedious studies.

Ron shrugged. "Dumbledore didn't make it out to be a big thing. Probably nothing, really, isn't it?"

Harry agreed with a nod, staring blankly at his equally blank parchment paper, quill poised over it. He looked no closer to scribbling something down than he had an hour ago when he'd first started, however.

"Its not that I'm upset Professor Lupin is teaching us again or anything," Hermione quickly added, ignoring their lack of interest. "I think its lovely to have him back, but... I'm just curious." She averted her gaze to her left and then down a bit towards the floor. "Any idea when she'll be back?"

The large, black dog she had addressed merely shook his shaggy head in a manner that was entirely too human-like for Harry. Snuffles laid at her feet, head settled upon his paws.

"She didn't tell you, then?" Hermione continued, oblivious to Harry's pointed looks. He kept glancing about to see if any students nearby were showing concern in her conversation with the dog. No one seemed to have noticed yet.

"Surely she spoke to you before she left," Hermione pressed in that same conversational tone, as if holding this intelligent conversation with him were indeed an everyday occurrence. "You seem rather close."

Snuffles gave a heavy, doggy sigh, looking quite forlorn and miserable. Ron frowned in annoyance.

"Hermione, stop asking him questions before he decides to change back and answer you," he hissed too loudly. Harry continued uneasily looking around. Hermione ignored them both.

"Why don't you invite her to dinner when she gets back?" she suggested kindly. "Treat her nice. She'd like that."

Snuffles whined pitifully and gave Hermione a sad gaze. She frowned, seeming to understand his canine talk perfectly.

"Well, why not?" she insisted.

Pushing himself up to all four paws, Snuffles paused a moment. Then, all three watched as he kicked up his front paws onto the table, carefully snatched her potions textbook in his mouth, then dropped it on the ground with a loud thud. Then, he proceeded to give the book a loud, vicious growl and one bark, before turning to pad out. In Harry's opinion, he looked quite more forlorn than he had before joining them in the library.

Ron looked as perplexed as Harry. "What was that all about, then?"

"I think I know," Hermione said quietly, distant eyes suddenly focusing on the other two. "Isn't it obvious?"

Harry certainly didn't think so, but he didn't get a chance to ask for an explanation. Hermione quickly stood from the table and made her way out of the library behind Snuffles.

"So Hermione speaks dog now?" Ron mused, brow raised. "That girl really is a bloody genius."

Harry wasn't so sure, though he was a bit worried for Sirius and his odd behavior.

* * *

"Silly tradition, though, isn't it? I mean, what would be so wrong about seeing her just for a little while today? Five minutes, that's all I'm asking for."

Kathrynne smiled gently, pausing to admire some colorful flowers in Jonathan's extravagant garden. The two were taking a stroll that would have been lovely were he not such a nervous wreck of pre-wedding jitters. She found it quite amusing, though it did make her feel a little guilty. He looked anything but relaxed or as at peace as she was.

"Jonathan, it would be bad luck to see your bride the day before your wedding," she spoke gently, picking a bright daffodil and bringing it to her nose. After breathing in its sweet scent, she turned to place it delicately in his front shirt pocket. "Why risk putting your marriage in the dangers of being jinxed?"

He shot her a look. "I hardly believe in superstitions, Kat."

"Well, Mr. Boring, you'll get to see her everyday for the rest of your life. Surely you can survive this little time without her."

"I suppose," he frowned, eyeing the flower skeptically. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

"Of course not," she nodded, smiling lightly. She sighed, gazing at the beauty all around her. It was quite breathtaking when one stopped to just take it all in. "This place of yours really is quite lovely. I am rather happy to see she'll be so well off."

Jonathan shrugged his slim shoulders, thrusting his hands awkwardly into his pockets. "Its really too much for us, you know. I don't really care about all this...flashy stuff." He made a dismissive gesture with his head. "Its just all her."

"You're so very eloquent with your words," Kat teased and he rolled his eyes, "but I didn't mean it like that. You know the kind of rough life Alanna's lived. She deserves this more than anyone and I just want to thank you for giving it to her."

Jonathan waved her gratitude away. "You know, my biggest fear with all this is that she'll get tired of me, this mere 'muggle.'" He said the term with a brief look of mock disgust, before smirking dryly. Kat arched a brow, looking like she were about to protest, but he wasn't finished. "When she first told me she was a witch, I didn't think she meant it literally. Its really frustrating sometimes that she can do practically anything with just a wave of her wand and a couple strange words."

"If its of any comfort to you, Alanna is no Auror," Kat spoke dryly. "Not the best witch to bet on in a duel, since she's a bit lacking with her wandwork, so I wouldn't rely on her quite so much in that area."

He frowned, voice clearly sarcastic. "Well, gee, Kat. Thanks. That's very comforting."

She grinned, lacing her arms through his. "She loves you more than anything, though, and that's all you need. You'll be fine." She patted his arm reasurringly. "Now that I've calmed you, escort me back to your castle. There's a princess in need of stress relief," Kat made a slight face, "and a maid of honor's dress to be conquered."

"That bad, huh?" he half-grinned.

"Well, Alanna does have a rather unusual taste in fashion styles. We'll compromise."

"Good luck with that," he snorted.

"We'll compromise or no wedding."

"That's taking it to an extreme, don't you think?"

"You haven't seen the dress."

* * *

"Do you like her, then?"

Professor Severus Snape could not believe his ears. He glared down his hooked nose at the girl standing before his desk, wondering why he had even admitted her into his office in the first place. It was quite known he hated being interrupted by students while working. He should have turned her, of all people, away, but instead, Hermione Granger stood patiently there awaiting his answer.

"Like who?" he asked through gritted teeth, his voice dangerously soft.

"Professor Celeste, of course," she blinked, as if, again, it had been quite obvious.

Snape's grip on his quill tightened as something boiled within him. He was both furious at her for bringing the subject up and because she had been clever enough to deduce such a thing after he'd been so careful to keep it a secret.

"Miss Granger," he began cooly, ignoring her question, "when I allowed you to come in, I assumed you had a question regarding potions. I harbor no eagerness to answer every absurd whim of your ridiculous, stupid fancy."

He noted with some satisfaction that she looked taken back at first, but unfortunately, she did not give up. "Oh, but I did want to inquire about my grade for that quiz."

"It seems more and more possible that you will be receiving a failing grade," he sneered, lip curling viciously.

She squared her shoulders, taking a little breath before plunging ahead.

"Well, if you do like her, you probably should try not to foul things up then, shouldn't you?" she asked, acting quite wise and knowledgeable as usual. "I mean, I was quite certain she liked Siri- Snuffles, but it was never him at all. She clearly likes you."

Something leapt within Snape, though outwardly, his expression only hardened, face icy and threatening. She didn't seem ruffled at all by his lack of enthusiasm, however. Quite the contrary, Hermione continued on.

"Its why she left, isn't it? Because something happened between you two?"

Snape carefully set down his quill, before slowly lacing his long fingers together atop his desk. Clearly taking his time, he fixed his cold glare upon her, a vein pulsing slightly in his forehead. Hermione swallowed a bit uneasily, finally questioning the intelligence of asking all these questions and assuming so much. Too much, perhaps.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, I think," he hissed, eyes glittering, "and detention for concocting such simple-minded, foolish fairy tales. Its disappointing, really, that you would waste your time away with such a brainless hobby. It only proves that Gryffindors are quite lazy." He sniffed his overlarge nose indignantly. "That will be all, Granger."

And she did indeed leave, suppressing a triumphant grin that revealed itself in all its glory once she had returned to her common room. Harry and Ron, who were playing wizard's chess before the fireplace, exchanged a curious look.

"What're you so pleased about?" Ron asked.

"I was right," she said simply, pausing to give his cheek a quick little kiss before turning to Harry. "Goodnight Harry."

He only gave a little wave as she headed upstairs to the girl's dormitories. Ron's brow rose as his cheeks reddened quite noticeably.

"I'll never understand that girl," he shook his head, but Harry noted that he looked rather happy to admit such confusion.

* * *

"How is he?"

They were the first demanding words from the princess's lips. Kat had to suppress an amused little grin. The two stood in the bridal room with Jonathan's mother, Mrs. Cassandra Chateau working diligently on the finishing touches of the bride's hair She was intricately placing it into perfect little curls spilling out of a tiara of white flowers.

"Oh, nervous, jittery. You know," Kat shrugged her shoulders a bit, "the usual for him."

"Oh," Alanna frowned a bit, lowering her gaze. Kat gave in and smiled.

"And excited, Lanna," she added. "He's marrying the best girl in the world. Why wouldn't he be?"

Alanna relaxed, a smile fluttering onto her lips. Cassandra paused to give her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"He loves you more than anything in the world," she said gently. "This is his dream come true."

Alanna's face brightened even more as she absently reached up a hand to push a stray curl behind one ear.

"How are you doing?" Kat asked pointedly. Alanna's brow rose thoughtfully.

"Oh, you know... nervous, jittery... and excited."

Cassandra smiled and took a step back.

"You're ready."

Alanna's eyes traveled over her reflection in the mirror. Her hair shone in those lovely curls, the flowers making an exquisite crown that matched the small, intricate flower patterns on the back of her simple, white dress. She was indeed a beautiful, young princess, and Kat almost choked up before remembering something.

"I almost forgot," she dug into the pockets of her faded jeans before pulling a small, white box out. She held it out to Alanna, who, after suspiciously taking it, opened it... and then nearly dropped it with a surprised gasp. Her eyes flew up to meet Kat's.

"This was mum's," she said in soft awe.

"And mum would want you to wear it," Kat said, gently firm. She took the small hair clip out and lovingly placed it in her sister's hair. The small, crystal unicorn sparkled brightly when it caught the light. It had been their mother's favorite, magical creature. Their father, who had known this, had given it to her while they were still quite young and dating.

Alanna's voice was almost a whisper as she stared at her reflection. "I wish they could be here."

"I know," Kat smiled bittersweetly, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, "but they really are here. They're always here..." she laid a hand upon Alanna's heart, "with us."

Alanna's eyes teared up and she turned to embrace Kathrynne. After a brief moment of them both trying to sniff away tears, the bride broke away... and gasped again.

"Kat, what's wrong with you? You're not even dressed yet! Go, now! Shoo!"

The nervous groom and the princess were ready, but Kat wasn't sure how prepared she was to conquer her evil dress.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to review! Thanks!


	13. A Momentous Occasion

Author's notes: Anyone who has been keeping track of this story will notice that I have not updated in a REALLY LONG TIME! I apologize, but inspiration finally struck me. The Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling. Please review!

* * *

**"Y**ou have to stop this, Albus."

Severus Snape's tall figure was a formidable one as he loomed over the headmaster's desk, his dark eyes fierce and desperate. It was very unlike the usually cool, calm potions professor. But the headmaster was his only hope - his link to the outside world of good magic. The matter was, after all, quite serious. From the angry twist in Snape's lips, it was perhaps, even more than just that. Standing across from him, Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily, looking grave and worn.

"I already have a man there, Severus," he explained quietly, no amusement or delight in his voice whatsoever. "He chose to go of his own accord, long before we discovered these unfortunate circumstances."

Snape's dark eyes narrowed in realization. "Black."

"Sirius is a highly capable wizard with very inept reflexes and skills," Albus spoke, ignoring the other's frosty demeanor. "He will know what to do... when it happens. More Aurors are already on their way."

"They will arrive too late," Snape growled, beginning to pace furiously, a habit Albus had seen him do only once before in these long years. He stopped suddenly, however, his back turned to Dumbledore. "I will go. If I leave now, I am certain I will arrive in time to stop everything."

Albus had stepped forward and around his desk to place a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry, my friend. We cannot risk your presence there. All we can do now is place our hope and trust in our friends and allies."

Snape still glared, clearly not the least bit happy with this decision.

"That is not good enough," he snarled, upper lip twisting.

Stiffly stepping away from the older wizard's touch, he swept from the room to return to his dungeons. He could not be expected to patiently wait in the headmaster's office. Perhaps he could prepare for their return with whatever help he could offer. It made him feel completely helpless, and he hardly cared at that moment whether or not he would be jeopardizing all he had sought to achieve for Dumbledore and the Order. He wanted to leave, and the only thing stopping him was Dumbledore. Unfortunately, that would be more than enough. All he could do was wait.

* * *

**T**he outside wedding was decorated quite extravagantly. There were flowers everywhere, a grand archway for the couple to stand under, and Jonathan even joked that they were going to release a ton of white doves at the end. He had explained to Kat it was all because his parents had wanted to help out. If it had been up to him and Alanna, the wedding would have been a small, simple affair. Even though his parents were fond of his slightly odd fiancé, despite the fact that she was a bit _different_ than most girls, Alanna wanted to make them happy.

The wedding guests were seated in two sections based on their relation to the bride or groom. The groom's side was a decidedly larger group of your average, nicely-dressed muggles. The bride's side, however, was made up of mainly witches and wizards, most who looked a little bit out of place wearing muggle clothing. As it was, many of their articles of clothing did not match, despite their efforts, and a few looked as if they'd be more fitting in a circus.

The wedding was also traditional, with the wedding party walking down the middle aisle to join the groom and minister at the front. One of Jonathan's youngest nieces was also a cute flower girl, bringing much cooing from the guests. And meanwhile, Kathrynne's dress, after a few minor alterations via her wand, was finally acceptable. She winked at Jonathan when she approached and resumed her spot as maid of honor. He looked as if he might pass out at any moment, but all that changed when he saw Alanna.

She was quite lovely in her traditional, muggle bridal gown, red hair in little curls about her tiara and face glowing. Despite their completely different backgrounds and ways of living, Alanna and Jonathan were really in love. Somehow, Kat knew that would be enough for them to get by just fine. Thinking such thoughts, Kat allowed her gaze to roam the guests, particularly the bride's side. They really didn't have any close family, save their slightly estranged aunt, who was losing more of her hearing by the minute, and looked very bitter to be at the wedding. Then again, she was very 'traditional,' and a bit biased, in Kat's opinion. The aunt had still not accepted the fact that her niece was marrying a muggle, and she probably never would. While it saddened Kat, there was nothing much to be done. Her eyes wandered a bit more, recognizing some of Alanna's old Hogwarts friends here and there... before her eyes paused on a rather familiar-looking fellow. Well, she didn't really recognize the dark, scraggly beard, but there was something about his eyes that she knew. She knew him from somewhere, and she felt as if she might realize it if she focused a moment longer, but the ceremony was beginning. Blinking herself out of the brief reverie, she turned her thoughts back to the couple.

The ceremony was progressing as any normal muggle one might, even with the couple reciting their own, personal vows. Alex went first, facing his bride.

"When I first met you, I thought you were a witch," he began, to a few gasps at his supposed rudeness from the groom's side. Some of the magical folk, meanwhile, chuckled in amusement. "But soon I discovered you weren't so bad." His expression turned more serious. "I am completely unworthy of you, yet somehow you see something in me. Your fiery spirit always keeps me on my toes. You have captured me with your spell, and I am forever only yours."

Alanna, who was already silently crying, managed to roll her eyes dryly at his puns. Kat smiled softly, shaking her head a bit. It was a rare sight to see her sister crying, but she understood. She hadn't known Jon had had it in him. Once Alanna was able to speak, she recited her own vows.

"I never in my life thought I'd fall in love with a man like you," she arched a brow pointedly, and Kat had to stifle a little smirk. Who would have thought her sister would end up marrying a muggle? "But we are not as different as some people might think." She smiled softly. "You are what my life has been lacking. You are a_ lovely_, lovely man, you are my best friend, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Again, short and sweet, but that was how they'd wished them. The couple smiled at each other, gazing into each other's eyes and already looking like they wanted to snog each other. While Kat smiled softly, her thoughts wandered yet again. Part of her mind was elsewhere, back at Hogwarts and with two particularly stubborn men who had been giving her a difficult time lately... Again, she found herself focusing on the bearded wizard. Where did she know him from… and why had he just winked at her?

But once again, her thoughts were short-lived. The next moments would later seem like a dream to Kat. It was if time had slowed down, but was still moving too fast for her to do anything. Nobody ever had time to stop what happened. A robed figure suddenly appeared in the back from a hiding place, holding something up. Two terrible, hateful words were shouted. Although they sounded alien and completely out of place at the lovely ceremony, she understood them well enough. Kat realized, too late, that the figure was pointing a wand at her baby sister and Jonathan. But it was not Alanna who fell to the floor. Jonathan had crumpled like a rag-doll, a last look of shock etched upon his features.

The killing curse.

Alanna might as well have died, too. She did not cry out right away, but all color drained from her face. Though her arms caught her fiancé's lifeless body, the momentum brought them both down to the floor. Kat was frozen in place, her hands clutching her bouquet limply, and her unseeing eyes staring in horror at her sister and Jonathan. She was barely aware of the shouting and screaming going on about her. But clearly she was meant to pay attention. The next curse was sent _her_ way, but it did not kill her. Kat felt something white-hot flash against her cheek, causing her to stumble back and gasp out in pain. She was almost certain her cheek was split open, by the wet, sticky blood she felt there, and by the shocked looks of the bridesmaids standing next to her. She turned, her eyes seeking out the robed figure, only to realize he had been joined by many, many more. But the one who had struck Jonathan and her was easy to see, with his hood down and long, blonde hair quite striking against the black of the robes he wore.

Lucius Malfoy.

"Oh, I'm sorry... did I miss the part where I was supposed to object?" he asked almost lazily, a cruel smile upon his lips.

A few of the witches and wizard guests stood, wands at the ready, but they were clearly outnumbered. Even less put up a fight with the other Death Eaters, but it was a meager one, and all the while, Lucius still smiled at the bridal party, never so much as glancing at the little skirmishes going on around him.

"Oh, and Miss Celeste," Lucius caught her attention where she was still standing in disbelief, "I am sorry to mar that pretty face of yours, but I felt it wise to make an example of you. I am sure it will help spread the message I have to share on this momentous occasion."

Yes, she was quite certain he would not have missed had he been aiming at her to kill. Somehow, Kat noticed the familiar-looking, bearded wizard had stood, his lanky figure a formidable one, and his wand pointed at Lucius. But the curse he was about to send never made it to its intended victim. Another dark wizard defended his fellow Death Eater and struck a particularly nasty blow in return. The wizard was harmed by the curse, but did not back down. Lucius rolled his eyes a bit, as if the interruption was a simple annoyance. When he spoke up again, his voice was louder as if magnified, and there wasn't a soul there who did not hear him.

"Let it be known that a marriage between a witch or wizard and a muggle is forbidden," he arched a brow pointedly at the fallen couple, where Alanna still was bent over Jonathan's form, "and punishable by death."

After he spoke those words, nearly every good witch and wizard present whisked out their wands and began attacking the Death Eaters. Some were old, some young, and although some looked as if they belonged in a kitchen at a stove or in an office at a desk, they were all quite enthusiastic with their actions. Lucius finally seemed to show a bit of concern when a curse shot by dangerously close to his head.

"You have been warned," he spoke coldly, and quite suddenly, he vanished. One by one, the other Death Eaters apparated after him, some wounded.

About that time, Kathrynne had managed to bring herself around from her horror-filled haze to take out her own wand. But as she stumbled forward, a curse already forming itself on her lips, a figure stepped out in front of her and stopped her. Although she hardly saw that same, familiar, bearded wizard, she was unable to get past him.

"Kat, stop! Its me, its Sirius!" the disguised wizard spoke firmly, grasping her arms and struggling to keep her at bay. "Listen to me, its too late!"

Sirius' eyes were wild as he eyed the angry wound on her blood-stained cheek, but Kat had already forgotten about it, despite the searing pain and the lightheadedness. Her futile struggle was immediately forgotten as well, however, when she heard the painfully heart wrenching words cried out behind her. She turned around quickly to see Alanna, her dear, sweet Alanna, shaking the shoulders of her fallen fiancé's limp figure. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Jonathan... darling... don't do this to me. Don't you dare do this to me!" Alanna was furiously gasping, choking back sobs. "Wake up, damnnit! You promised to marry me! You... promised... Don't touch me!"

The last bit was screamed at the unfortunate bridesmaid who had attempted to console her. Pushing herself away from Sirius, Kat stepped back towards Alanna, but only made it a few feet away from her where she dropped to her knees. She helplessly watched her younger sister cry uncontrollably, cradling Jonathan's lifeless form in her arms. Neither were aware of the chaos surrounding them when the Aurors finally arrived, of the shock of those all around them, or of the piercing wails of Jonathan's mother. Kat did not move when Sirius stepped up behind her and laid a heavy hand upon her shoulder.

It was over. It was all over.

* * *

A/N: Sorry its a bit on the short side and sorry so depressing! And yes, I realized I have made Lucius quite despicable in this story. For all those Lucius-lovers out there, I apologize. This is an alternate universe, after all. Anyway, please review!


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